aGiselle? No, I thought she was at homea"a aWe went after you, you stupid b.i.t.c.h, and your friends put a truth spell on her. To make sure we were telling the truth about your crazy a.s.s. It drained what was left of her life.a She covered her face with her hands, sobs shaking her shoulders. aI didnat know. I didnat ever want her to be hurt. I didnat, you have to believe me. I only ever did what I did to keep you two safe as best I could.a With great difficulty, I pulled myself to my feet and reached for my swords, but my hands found nothing.
aI took your weapons off you,a Faris said from behind me. I turned to glare at him and he shrugged. aHer only request.a aDoesnat mean I canat still kill her.a I glared at her, crouched on the floor. In my head I did the math; she was about four months along and her belly was just starting to show. She saw where my gaze landed and she cradled her stomach. I snorted and turned away. Even I wasnat so cold as to run her through when she was pregnant.
I looked around, wobbled, and Faris reached out to balance me. aWhy didnat you just fix me up?a An exasperated sigh slipped out of him. aYou had already lost a great deal of blood, and if Iad taken more in order to make the bond between us worka"for the limited time it does with youa"you would have died. As it was, we barely made it here.a aWhere is here?a I couldnat make sense of the place. I could hear water, I could smell flowers as if it was spring and not November, and it was warm. Quite warm, actually.
aYou donat need to know that. Now, Iave done my part.a Milly slowly stood, brus.h.i.+ng off the loose flowing skirt that swirled around her legs. Green and browns, the dress was cut to flatter her changing figure while still giving her the trademark s.e.xy girl look that she had perfected over the years. Her deep brown hair was tousled and her make-up was flawless. Next to her, I had no doubt I looked like a complete wreck, not that that was anything new with the two of us. Already, she had put aside her tears for Giselle, showing me once again just how f.u.c.king cold she really was.
aLetas go.a I didnat know where we had to go, only that we needed to leave. And since Faris had brought me here, I needed him to take me away.
Milly stepped so that she was in front of me. aYou owe me, Rylee. I saved your life.a Ah, f.u.c.k it, I knew this had been coming. aWhat do you want?a I asked, but already knew the answer. Hated that it was going to be forced on me.
aPromise me youall protect my son, at all costs.a G.o.ds that was a loaded request. aIf I do this, it doesnat absolve you. The next time we meet a .a I turned and stared at her. My former best friend, the one person I would have trusted over all others.
Her eyes welled with tears and she gave a slow nod. aI know where you stand, Rylee. I always have, I think. Iad just hoped that youad understand why Iave done what Iave done. Maybe someday you will.a aWhatever.a aSwear an oath, Rylee. One youall keep.a Milly said, her voice soft with tears.
I took a deep breath, thinking about the best way to word an oath that would satisfy her. aI swear on the souls of all those I love, of all those who stand in need of my abilities that if your child needs protecting, and if I am able to, I will protect him at all costs. Even to the loss of my own life.a Milly let out a breath, her shoulders slumping. aThank you, Rylee. Thank you.a I couldnat look at her any longer. I flicked my fingers at Faris. aAre we going?a aNow?a aYes, now. Seriously, we have people to kill, a war to start. A rescue to make happen.a I shook my head at him. aAll those things arenat going to go on by themselves.a Farisa lips twitched. aGood to see you have some of your old self back.a His hand went to my lower back, guiding me through the sea side house. I could guess where we were, but I didnat really care.
aYeah, talking to dead people will do that to you. Make you smarten the f.u.c.k up.a He jerked me around to face him. aWhat dead people?a I knew I couldnat break his grip on me, so I didnat try. Besides, I was exhausted. aBerget spoke to me, when I was a dying, I guess.a His eyes were deadly serious. aWhat did she say?a I squirmed like a kid caught with my hand in their motheras chocolate stash. aThat she didnat blame me, that death wasnat the end.a Faris relaxed his grip on me. aThatas all she said?a Shrugging, I pulled myself from his loosened hands. aWhat else would she say to me?a He didnat say anything else, just went back to guiding me through the house and out into the back yard. Blossoms and plants covered everything, filling every inch with bright sprays of color under the light of what looked to be hundreds of candles. The whole place was stunning. The smell of roses, lavender, and jasmine sat heavy on the night air and I breathed it in, wis.h.i.+ng for a brief moment that this was our destination.
aWhy did we have to come out here?a I turned to face Faris again, but he was turned away from me, watching the way wead come.
aMilly is trying to learn how to jump the Veil like I do. I have done my best to keep her from seeing me jump the Veil. I do not think she can learn it, but if anyone cana"a aShe can.a He gave me a nod, took my hand and yanked me hard to his chest. aHang on.a He leaned in, as if to kiss me, but I ducked my head down so his lips. .h.i.t the top of my head.
aSorry, Iave got a thing for a wolf.a aWe shall see about that.a Faris stepped backward and the Veil parted, and we fell through the twist, jump, whatever the f.u.c.k he wanted to call it. The thing was, the Veil wasnat magic, it was real and solid as anything else. And the ability to manipulate it apparently wasnat magic either, or it wouldnat work with me and my Immunity. Did that mean I could learn how to do it? s.h.i.+t, now that would be brilliant. Faris seemed to be reading my mind.
aPerhaps if we work together, I will show you how to jump the Veil. If I can.a His unspoken words spoke far louder than the ones he whispered. Perhaps if I let him have what he wanted from me, head show me how. f.u.c.k that, I wasnat like Milly.
aYeah, sure.a I grunted as we stepped out into the castle that acted as the way point between places for the vampire.
I strode away from him, wanting to get back to where OaShea and Alex waited, but not having the means to do so on my own. Faris had explained it to me. There were some jumps across the Veil that just didnat work. He couldnat take me from the forest directly to Milly; head had to come here first, then to Millyas. No rhyme or reason, just the way it was.
aYou say that like you donat want to learn.a Faris came up behind me, sliding his hands up my arms and I was suddenly reminded that Faris had taken my weapons of me in the clearing before he jumped us to Milly, and I was alone with a vampire whoad mentioned on several occasions how much head like to sink his fangs, amongst other things, into me.
aI do want to learn.a I squirmed away from him. aBut not at the cost of my body.a His eyes widened. aYou think I would bargain that knowledge for a piece of a.s.s?a aYes.a He barked out a laugh. aPerhaps, but Iad much rather see if I could bind you to me permanently.a aNope, that ainat going to happen, either.a I put my hand on the wall closest to me, feeling the coldness from the stone numb my hand in a matter of heartbeats.
aWe shall see.a I glared at him. No f.u.c.king way, there was no f.u.c.king way Iad ever let him bind me to him. aYou donat know me so well, do you?a He took my hand and we jumped the Veil. He smiled at me, eyes sparkling. aAh, but I plan to.a
CHAPTER 16.
PROBLEM NUMBER ONE: OaShea couldnat jump the Veil. Problem number two: Faris thought he was in charge.
Problem number three: I had to deal with two incredibly alpha males, neither of which seemed willing to work together. Just f.u.c.king peachy.
Faris handed me my weapons when we came back through, and OaShea immediately shoved himself between us, a low growl on his lips.
aDo not test me, wolf,a Faris snarled.
OaShea snarled back, and I put myself between them. aListen, we have to work together, so knock it the f.u.c.k off. Both of you.a I strapped on my swords, knife, crossbow and bolts, and whip back onto my body. It felt good to have my weapons back where they belonged.
Faris smoothed his face and gave me a barely there nod. OaShea didnat move, didnat lift his eyes from the glare head pinned on the vampire. Well, at least they werenat fighting.
Alex all but glued himself to my side, the tension obviously stressing him out. He panted with anxiety, drool dripping in great gobs from his tongue, but he said nothing. Faris paced the small clearing as the night grew thin and the not so distant dawn lit the tops of the trees with a dim glow.
Iad had enough. I needed to get Pamela and Eve, phone Jack, and pray that Faris was wrong about the Child Empress taking him a .
On impulse, I Tracked Jack. His threads tugged me toward the south, way south, instead of west toward London, as Iad really been hoping theyad be. s.h.i.+t sticks, again Faris was telling me the truth. d.a.m.n. I did not want to trust the vampire, I just didnat. There was a saying that Giselle had been fond of, before her mind had gone.
aThe devil will tell you nine truths, so that youall believe one lie. Lots of supernaturals like that too.a The thing was, Faris was a vampire. I knew what he was capable of, or at least some of what he was capable of. But discerning the truths from the lies with him was going to be tough. Had already proved to be tough.
I stood, stretched and turned away, heading back into the forest. I Tracked Pamela. She was roughly where Iad left her; it felt like they may have moved a little to the west, but not far.
OaShea ghosted to my other side, pressing his flank up against my leg. Alex grinned across at him. aWanna play?a OaShea snorted, shook his head and Alex visibly drooped, kicking at the snow.
aWhere are you going?a Faris shouted from behind us.
aCollecting my wards and going after Jack.a The vampire was suddenly in front of us, eyes blazing with anger. aYou tried things your way and it got your sister killed, remember?a af.u.c.k off and a well, Iad say die, but that seems redundant, donat you think?a His eyes bugged out. aI saved your life, and this is how you would thank me?a OaShea gave a low rumble that sounded suspiciously like a snicker. I glared at the top of his head. aWho asked you for your opinion, wolf boy?a Tongue lolling, he turned his head up and gave me a wink with one pale golden eye.
Faris reached out as if to grab me, and OaShea put himself between us, forcing the vampire back. I lifted my hands up. aListen, you want to plan this, plan that, whatever. When I find Jack, Iall find the Child Empress. I will kill her, and take Jack with me back to London. You either do it my way, or go the f.u.c.k away.a His jaw tightened as he glared at me. Finally he gave a slight nod of his head. aWhen you are ready to see things my way, you can call me.a He turned, a slash appeared in the air and he stepped through, disappearing to wherever the h.e.l.l he went. Probably the castle, not that it mattered to me where he was.
Exhaustion nipped at me. The last twenty-four hours had been rough, as rough as Iad ever had. And I wasnat really any further ahead. Sure, Iad found OaShea, I glanced at him as we walked. But he was trapped, stuck in the wolf body as surely as Alex was stuck between wolf and human. Which was better? At least OaShea seemed to have a more adult view on the world, more so than Alex, anyway.
Then there was Berget a no, I s.h.i.+ed away from thoughts of her. I couldnat deal with her death, not if I were to rescue Jack. I felt him, inside my head there in the south. He wasnat well; his heart was not strong and a steady thread of apathy hummed through him. Jack had stopped caring, which meant head stopped fighting and that was a b.i.t.c.h of a bad sign.
As the sun crested high, and the forest lightened up, I called a halt to our walk. Wead only been at it for a couple of hours, but I was done. Since walking into a hotela"with two werewolves at my sidea"would be, to say the least, difficult, I opted for a tree to sit against. Alex and OaShea curled up beside me, OaShea surprising me with his willingness to let Alex be so close to us both. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes and drifted in and out of sleep as the day pa.s.sed.
Bergetas death.
OaShea trapped as a wolf.
Jack kidnapped.
The realities I couldnat escape kept me from resting fully. Kept me from being able to ease the ache in my mind, body or heart. Groggily, I opened my eyes, stared at the canopy above my head. The ground was cold, but I was warm, my werewolf blanket doing a d.a.m.n fine job of keeping me from the cold.
aAll right boys, time to go.a I shoved Alex from my lap, or at least tried to. He lifted his head, yawned, and then let out a gust of hot wolf breath right into my face. Nice way to wake up.
I waved my hands in front of my face, stood, and headed toward Pamela and Eve once more. Though I hadnat rested, I had come to a decision.
First, we had to get Jack away from the Child Empress. That had to come first, no matter how badly I wanted to help OaShea. And I was going to need all the help I could get, as fast as I could. Pamela, if her arm was healeda"which it should be, since witches healed almost as fast as werewolvesa"was going to come with me, though again wead have to leave Eve behind. The Harpy was going to be p.i.s.sed.
Second, wead take Jack home and get OaShea to Doran. Doran, and maybe Deanna, would be able to bring him back. I had to believe that. There was no room for any other options inside my head.
Last, Iad grieve for Berget. And maybe, finally, for Giselle too.
Step one required me to get my a.s.s all the way to France. At the first truck stop we came on, early that evening, I stole a pickup truck. This time I went for something middle of the road, big enough to take two werewolves in the back, not nice enough to be noticed missing. I hoped.
OaShea and Alex seemed more than content to ride in the back, winter wind blowing through their fur. Alex was howling and hopping around the back so much that he actually rocked the whole vehicle.
I cranked the side window down. aKnock it the f.u.c.k off, Alex! Youare tipping us.a He slapped his paws over his muzzle, eyes as big as saucers. OaShea nipped him on the shoulder and Alex lay down, flat out on his belly. Good enough.
After that, he settled down and we had no more problems.
Until we crossed into Italy.
At first, I thought it was the police behind us, dark-colored vehicles coming up fast, boxing us in on the highway.
Nope, far worse than the police.
Witches.
aReally?a I yelped as the vehicle to our left slammed into us. I fought the steering wheel to keep the truck steady. A glance in the mirror showed Alex still flat on the deck, but OaShea was staring at the people, witches, in the cars, his gaze not wavering even when we were rammed.
I hit the gas pedal, smas.h.i.+ng into the b.u.mper of the car in front of us, pus.h.i.+ng it hard. aOut of my way, p.r.i.c.k!a The car spun to the right, taking out the vehicle on that side of us too. Pus.h.i.+ng the truck hard, I took us through the opening, using the other vehicles around us as blockers. s.h.i.+t, the last time Iad been in a car chase had been with OaShea too, the irony didnat escape me. I yanked the wheel to the left, jerking the truck around a semi as it lit on fire in a burst of flames. Yes, on fire.
The witches were bra.s.sy to be throwing spells at us in the open like this. Bra.s.sy witches were the last things I needed. The rig next to us swerved, blowing its horn, the tires coming dangerously close to us. Behind us, a pickup truck like the one I was driving, came up fast. f.u.c.k this. I hit the brakes and swerved to the left using the edge of the road as a new lane. Foot back on the gas pedal, I punched it hard, the truck shooting forward. Thank the G.o.ds someone liked speed in their big boy toy.
OaShea and Alex scrabbled to stay upright, but only OaShea looked concerned. Alex was grinning like a fool, barking and laughing every time he wiped out as I swerved or jerked the wheel to avoid a car.
An explosion erupted in front of us, the ground shattering, and chunks of concrete flew everywhere. A chunk landed on the hood, bounced into the back of the truck. Alex gave a yelp. I a.s.sumed head been smacked by the block. He started mouthing off at the top of his lungs.
aSons of b.i.t.c.hes, stupid witches!a I wanted to laugh, it was his best rhyme yet, but I was too busy focusing on the road as it continued to explode, and I fought to keep the truck from doing a header into one of the magic-made craters.
Then one of the witches got crafty and blew out my back right tire. The truck wobbled and jerked to the right, slowing down way too much for my liking. I grit my teeth, knuckles white on the steering wheel. Then the other back tire blew and the truck was literally dragging its a.s.s along the road.
If theyad wanted to, they would have just flipped the truck, but theyad held back. I was betting they were just after OaShea and were, in their own way, trying to get me to just hand him over. Of course, that wasnat going to happen.
I hit the brakes hard, turning the wheel sharp to the right, turning the truck sideways across the lanes in order to block the road as best I could. The slam of two large bodies. .h.i.t the back of the cab. With a jerk on the handle, I shoved the door open and leapt out.
aTime to go, boys!a They jumped out of the back of the truck, one graceful, the other, not so much. Alexas legs seemed to go every which way, tangling him up so that he landed in a heap. OaShea grabbed him by the scruff of the neck without missing a beat, yanking Alex out of the way of a black spell that slammed into the truck where his head had been.
I didnat look back, just bolted down the side of the highway, the pile up from the craters, flaming rig and all the humans running around were a perfect diversion. Sure, the witches continued to lob spells at us, but they were inaccurate and sloppy. I was freaking happy that Milly wasnat with them. Her aim was almost as good as mine.
We ran for about an hour before I dared to Track the witches as a group. From the distance between us, I could tell they hadnat moved from the highway. Maybe they were just putting the run on us, pus.h.i.+ng us out of their country?
The next day, and one more stolen truck later, we crossed into France. Pamela and Eve were a few hours south of us if we didnat have any more diversions of the witchy sort.
Reaching the town by the ocean that I knew was only a short jog to where Eve and Pamela had holed up, I pulled over. We were in a no driving zone, pedestrians only apparently in this section of the town, so we would have to walk from here on out. I left the keys in the truck for someone else to take. That was the least I could do after all my thefts of vehicles over the last few days.
There was only one small problem. Alex was wearing a collar that hid him from the world of the humans. OaShea had no such collar and it was very apparent that he was not a dog, but a big-a.s.s black wolf.
aWhat the h.e.l.l are we going to do?a I muttered, staring at the two werewolves in the back of the truck. s.h.i.+t, this was not really something Iad thought about. This was what I got for doing things by the seat of my pants.
The best thing I could do would be to find something that I could use for a leash. Sure, people would wonder what the f.u.c.k kind of dog/wolf hybrid OaShea was, but if he was on a leash, at least they would know he was tame. Right, a tame werewolf. Behind the seat of the truck was a long coil of rope, the edges frayed and smelling slightly of fish.
aOkay, come on, letas go.a I motioned for them to jump out of the truck, looping the rope around OaSheaas neck as he jumped. Not thinking for one f.u.c.king minute that there would be a problem.
My bad.
He hit the ground and spun, knocking me over. I landed on my a.s.s, hands clenching the end of the rope. aWhat the h.e.l.l was that about?a His eyes traced the rope from close to where it looped around his neck, along the ground to my hand clutching the end of it. Realization dawned and I stared at him, frozen with what could happen. He was becoming a Guardian, if that was true, I couldnat kill him, even if he attacked me. Not that I wanted to fight him, but a .
aOaShea, we have to get through town.a I held up my hands as his lips curled back over his enormous teeth. aWe have to make them, the humans, think you are safe. As soon as we get to the other side Iall drop it, we can take it off.a OaShea didnat ease up, but instead he stepped forward, his eyes no longer soft and full of recognition. I didnat dare move, knowing that the second I tried, head be on me.
Alex scooted forward, putting himself between us. aHiya Boss, Alex holds it.a The submissive wolf scooped up the rope in his teeth and grinned at OaShea around it.
OaShea stilled, eyes flicking once over Alex, then back to me, then he deliberately turned his face away from me.
I slowly stood, afraid to make any fast moves. Holy s.h.i.+t, that could have gone bad in a f.u.c.king instant. And here again, Alex had saved my stupid sorry a.s.s.
aAlex, come on.a He trotted to my side and I gripped his collar. OaShea followed him, and like a bizarre parade, we cut through the last few blocks of towns. Yes, we got some double takes, some stares and a few sets of fingers pointing. But we avoided any catastrophes. For once.
As soon as we entered the edge of the trees, Alex dropped the rope and OaShea shook himself out of it.
But neither wolf would look at me. Like Iad done something wrong in putting the rope on OaShea. What the f.u.c.k was I going to do with Pamela? I had a witch with me, and a werewolf who wanted nothing more than to kill witches.
aYou two stay here. Iall go get Pamela and Eve.a I needed time to think, to process this situation. There was no way I could let Pamela get hurt, but I needed her with me; I already had an idea of how to get Jack away from the Child Empress, but I would need Pamela working some pretty heavy magic to make it happen. I jogged through the trees, winding my way to where the girls were. When I stepped out to where I could see the shack, Eve was the one who saw me first.
aRylee! Youare back already! Where is Alex?a Her face softened with horror.
aHeas fine, donat worry about him. Iave just left him back at the edge of the woods.a She fluffed up her body, and clacked her beak several times. aI was afraida"a aNo, I wonat let anything happen to him, Eve. I promise.a Dangerous to promise that, but I had to because it was the truth. If there was anything I could do to save him, I would.
Pamela came running around the side of the shed, blonde hair flying back from her face. aYouare back!a She ran toward me, smiling, happy, her arm no longer in a sling. I lifted my hand in greeting, feeling both the need to protect her and how badly I needed her help. The two feelings warred within me. I was about to take her into a nest of vampires in order to save Jack. How the h.e.l.l was I going to keep her safe?
Turns out, I should have been more worried about the then and there.
The crack of a twig behind me spun me around. OaShea stared across at Pamela, who still hadnat seen him.
f.u.c.k it all to h.e.l.l and back.
I bolted toward Pamela, knowing it would be close. Her eyes widened, flicked to look over my shoulder, and I saw her raise her hand with a spell.
aNo magic!a I slammed into her, tackling her to the ground, covering her body with my own.
OaShea was on top of me, his teeth sinking in around my shoulder in an effort to pull me off.
He bit deep, but didnat break any bones. He lifted me and I clung to Pamela. aHang onto me, whatever you do.a She let out a sob, her small arms clinging to my waist. OaShea shook us from side to side, trying to dislodge her. Eve let out a hunting screech.
aNo, Eve, let me deal with him.a The words didnat come out in a nice smooth sentence, but she didnat interfere.
OaShea finally dropped me. G.o.ds, it was as if my body had been strapped to a jackhammer, the inside of my skull still buzzing with the vibrations. I lifted my body up, so that I was crouched over Pamela.
aShe is mine, and you will not hurt her. Got it?a I glared at him, meeting the challenge of his eyes full on. He snarled and lunged at me; I snapped a fist out and punched him in the nose. He shook his head and circled around while Pamela cried silent, terrified tears.