The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 59 - The Scrolls

"With what Santi said, is there anything else we need to do to prepare?" Gary asked Anna.

"We already knew about Astaroth, so we've been preparing for him. I'm hoping Santi is able to keep from taking the potion so he can try and give us more information. However, Astaroth isn't stupid. He'll notice it doesn't have the intended effect and try something different. If he does call you again, don't mention anything about telling us. If Astaroth gets him under his control, we don't need him telling the demon you were willing to work with us. As long as you still appear to be on their side, you're safe. How's Shila doing?" Anna asked, concerned about her friend.

"She's okay. I had to wait to call you because she went into heat a few days ago." Gary peeked in at his mate, who was still sleeping. Hopefully, she would sleep for a while.

"Wow, she went into heat at the same time as Marcella. That's quite a coincidence." Anna said, drawing Gary back to their conversation.

"Who's Marcella?" Gary asked.

"She's the mate of the Lycan King Jarek. She's a weretiger and went into heat a few days ago." Anna answered. She began wondering if their timing of heat was truly a coincidence or if there was something more going on. She decided not to say anything to Gary yet. Anna wanted to do some research first before worrying him for no reason.

"That's incredible. I'm hoping we have a pup on the way." Gary said wistfully, already thinking about his future pup.

"We'll let you get back to your pack. Please call if you hear from Santi again." Kamryn said. He saw the look on Anna's face and knew she was thinking something she wasn't ready to share with the alpha.

"Will do," Gary said as he hung up. Kamryn looked toward Anna with a smirk.

"Okay, spill it. What's going on in that head of yours?" He asked, kissing her forehead. Anna giggled.

"How did you know?" She questioned, leading him up to their bedroom.

"I saw it on your face," Kamryn replied as she opened the bedroom door.

"I think there may be more of a coincidence than we think for Marcella and Shila going into heat. Obviously, they won't be as powerful as the six of us but think of the combinations. We have the lycan king with a weretiger, the two most powerful shifters. Then we have an alpha with a werewolf hybrid who's part Spirit Energy." Anna went to the bedside table and opened the bottom drawer. She pulled out a heavy book that had the Spirit Energy scrolls.

Kamryn looked at the book that fascinated him. It was black with designs carved out of the earth, wind, water, and fire. There was a circle in the middle that appeared to glow blue.

Anna opened the book going to the part she wanted. Then she began reading. Kamryn watched her for a while, but when Anna got into her research, there was nothing that could distract her. He decided to lie down and take a nap.

Santi was in his bedroom, pacing. Astaroth was getting suspicious and was requesting Santi see him more often. Each time he'd been able to get rid of the drink, but it was getting more complicated. The last time he had to run out of there pretending that there was an emergency, he had to check on. He was scared that the demon would see through his tricks and find another way to get to him.

Now that his head was clear, he noticed other abnormalities around him, like the people working in the mansion. Their eyes weren't as black as Alice and Marcus, but there was something abnormal about them. The way they moved was almost robotic in nature. It was as though they weren't even there.

He hadn't called Gary back because he didn't have anything new to report. The demon had been less forthcoming with information lately. He hadn't even given him any assignments. Santi was tired of sitting around the house. He needed to get away from all the darkness in the place.

Santi left the mansion, feeling eyes on him as he walked out the door. If he could leave and never go back, he would, but Astaroth would send Alice and Marcus after him. They would be able to force him back with their magic without any trouble. He wondered if there was a way for him to disappear without anyone being the wiser, even Astaroth.

He walked further and further from the mansion. The more he walked, the freer he felt. Santi decided to go ahead and call Gary to check in and see if there were any updates from their end. The alpha never said he would do what he asked, so he would use that as an excuse to call. Santi went to a bus stop like he did last time and sat on the bench. He pulled out his phone and clicked on Gary's name. "Hello?" The alpha answered.

"Hey, Gary. It's Santi."

Anna was deep into reading the scrolls and lost track of time. When she started focusing, she realized it was dark outside. She looked toward the bed and saw Kamryn was asleep. How long had she been reading? Anna stood up and stretched. She walked over to Kamryn and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto the bed.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Anna said as she giggled.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Kamryn asked before kissing her again.

"Yeah. We need to talk to everyone. There's something that we need to do as soon as possible." Anna squirmed when Kamryn started tickling her.

"Do we really need to do it now? I want to stay here with you and forget about everyone else." He said as he held her down to kiss her again. Anna would have loved to give in to him, but she had to share what she had learned. "We can't right now, but I promise tomorrow we will spend the whole day in here, just the two of us. Come on, let's go." Anna jumped up while Kamryn groaned,

"I'm going to hold you to that." He gave her another deep kiss before they walked out of the room. Kamryn mindlinked his parents to grab everyone, including Jarek and Marcella.

They were all waiting for them when the couple got to the conference room. Anna smiled as she laid the scroll down on the table. Those from Spirit Energy knew what it was, but the others looked at it confused.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly. For those who don't know, this is the scroll of Spirit Energy. I was reading some parts because I discovered that Marcella and Shila went into heat at the same time. So I wanted to see what significance this might have. What I found was quite fascinating." Anna paused while everyone waited on the edge of their seats.

"Don't leave us in suspense, Anna. What did you find?" Randal asked anxiously. She smiled at him sweetly.

"Jarek and Marcella, your child will have some special abilities. I'm not sure what yet, but he or she will be a hybrid that can shift into a lycan or tiger. There is still more that we'll learn as we go." Marcella and Jarek looked at each other in shock. "You already know that I'm pregnant?" Marcella asked quietly while putting her hand over her belly. She hadn't even been sure.

"Yes. Your tiger will be able to tell you soon what you're having. The other thing that I discovered is that Gary and Shila's pup will also be a hybrid. I'm unsure if the pup will be a werewolf and witch or a werewolf and warlock, but it will also have special abilities. Both newborns will also play an essential part in the battle. I'm still not completely clear on their roles, but we'll help you all every step of the way." Anna said as she saw the fear in Marcella and Jarek's eyes. "Thank you for telling us all of this. Have you told Gary and Shila yet?" Jarek asked. He put his arms around his mate, feeling even more protective than usual.

"No, we need to call them next, and we have to ask him if he's talked to Santi." Everyone looked confused.

"Why do you need to know if he talked to Santi?" Stanley asked. He could see something more was going on than just a casual check-in.

"There's something we need to do, but I don't want to concern anyone until I know if we can get a hold of Santi." Kamryn handed her his phone, and she clicked on Gary's name before putting the phone on speaker. "Hello?" Gary answered, wondering why all of a sudden he was so popular.

"Gary, it's Anna. I have you on speakerphone."

"Hi, everyone. What can I do for you?" He asked, sitting next to Shila. He had gone into the hidden room when Santi called.

"Is Shila with you? If so, I need you to put the phone on speaker." Anna answered.

"Yes, she's here." Gary took Shila's hand as he put the phone on speaker.

"Great. First of all, congratulations on your cub." Anna exclaimed.

"How do you know I'm pregnant?" Shila asked in surprise.

"Gary told us you had gone into heat at the same time Marcella, King Jarek's mate, went into heat. I read the Spirit Energy scrolls to see what this signifies. I found that you and Marcella are pregnant with cubs that will be born with abilities. Shila, you will have a hybrid that will be either part werewolf and witch or werewolf and warlock. Marcella will have a cub that will also be a hybrid that can shift into either lycan or tiger. They will have an important role in the battle, but I'm not sure what yet." Anna paused to see how they were taking all this information.

"I've never heard of such a thing. I'm scared. What's going to happen if it's not enough?" Shila asked while clinging to Gary.

"There's something else we need to do that's going to be in our favor. Gary, have you spoken to Santi lately?" Anna asked. Once again, everyone was on the edge of their seats, wondering what he had to do with this.

"I was actually on the phone with him when you called. He's holding on the other line." Gary looked at his phone to make sure he was still there.

"That's perfect. Can you connect him to our call?" Randal looked at Anna as though she were crazy. Why did she want to speak with his brother? He was still having trouble believing anything he said. "Hello?" They all heard an unfamiliar voice say.

"Santi?" Anna asked, looking at those around the table. She knew this was going to rock their world, but it was necessary.

"Yes, is this Anna?" Santi was shocked that the young witch wanted to speak with him. However, something about hearing her kind, soothing voice was like drinking a glass of cold water on a hot day. "Yes. I need you to do something, and it has to be done immediately for this to work." Anna said while taking a deep breath.

"Okay, I'll do anything." Santi was desperate to show them he was a man of his word.

"Good. I need you to go to a deserted area where no one will see you. I'm then going to have Kamryn teleport to you, pick you up, and bring you to the palace."