by LJ Swallow
Please let me contain residual Blackwood magic and this works.
The last word is barely from my lips when the room begins to spin. Did I expect a flash of light? A tunnel opening? None of that happens. Instead, excruciating pain roars through my body as if people either side of me are tearing my limbs away and punching a hole in my stomach. My heart judders and stops for a second.
Did we do something wrong? Has the spell backfired, and the magic is killing us?
The agony builds and I'm happy to succumb as darkness wipes me from the world.
Chapter Fourteen
ANDREI
I’m face down on soft grass, the earthy smell mingling with the scent of witch blood. Maeve?
I roll onto my back and squint at the stars through the willow tree branches. My body aches as if an attacker jumped up and down on me, but I can’t remember fighting anybody. Where the hell am I?
The witch blood scent lingers, and I sit to examine my clothes. Did I lose control and do something unthinkable? Please, no.
I move my heavy head to take in more of my surroundings. Jamie rests against the tree trunk clasping a black book to his chest, eyes closed. Nearby somebody retches—Ash stands at another tree, steadying himself as he vomits.
The spell.
Did this work? I struggle to my feet and stagger towards the edge of the copse we’re in. I’ve seen the Blackwood manor house once, but the unusual building sticks in my memory. My parents owned a large house, colder and emptier since my mother and sister left, but that seemed like a cottage compared to the house spanning the space of a terraced street. The white facade seems to glow in the night and windows on the ground floor are lit. From here, I can see half a dozen cars parked outside, but nobody around.
Somebody appears beside me and I instantly know who.
“Jamie. Move away.” I hold my breath, pissed off I’ve no gum in my pocket. "Blood."
He shuffles backwards and I take a deep breath, switching my focus to the countryside—the smell of wildflowers amongst the grass, the sap in the tree bark, the earth. I relax when the breeze blows Jamie’s scent away from me.
“Give me the grimoire,” I say and hold my hand out. Jamie clutches the book tighter to his chest. “Jamie. This is why we’re here.”
A shaky Ash steps forward and wipes his brow. “We. You’re not marching through those gates with the grimoire in your hands. We might never see you again.”
“Yeah, but Maeve would be free.” Why don’t they understand my priority here? I don’t know why my mother suddenly wants to see me, and expect I won’t like the reason, but if this works, I’m willing.
Or we could be walking into a trap.
“Nobody walks in there alone,” says Jamie. "You don't honestly believe they'll keep their word, do you?"
“Nobody walks in there, period,” says an unfamiliar voice.
A man around Tobias’s age, with brown curls reaching his ears, looks at us with amused curiosity. His lean legs end in heavy black boots and he wears a chequered shirt open across a dark-coloured T-shirt.
“Who are you?” asks Ash sharply.
“He's not a Blackwood.” Jamie narrows his eyes. “But you are a witch.”
“Correct. Now explain to me why you’re loitering outside their estate. Where the hell did you come from?” His scrutiny drops to Jamie’s fingers stained in blood and the grimoire in his hand. “Is that book what I think it is?”
Jamie holds the book behind his back and Ash moves shoulder to shoulder with him. “Who are you?” he repeats.
“Again, why are a bunch of kids hanging around out here? Have you been playing with magic you don’t understand and found yourself in a mess?”
“No, this was deliberate,” I say.
The man rubs a thumb across his lips. “You want to join the Blackwoods? That makes no sense—especially you.” He gestures at Ash. "They'd flay you alive."
"Nice," I mutter.
“You don’t understand, we—" begins Jamie.
“Don’t tell him anything,” I interrupt.
The man walks over to me and a strange odour of ash and earth interferes with me scanning his mind. “What’s your name?”
“What’s yours?" I retort as our eyes lock.
“Alaric.”
“Andrei.”
He cocks a brow. “Tepes?”
“There's more than one vampire called Andrei.”
Our gazes remain focused on each other.
“Yes, but you’re the right age and attitude.” He chuckles. “Your mother is visiting the Blackwoods, did you know?”
“Yes, but that’s not why we’re here. I’ve fuck-all interest in joining my mother.”
“Ah. So, you are Andrei Tepes. Which means you’re Jamie,” he says and nods at him. He turns to Ash. “Andy?”
“Ashley.”
“Right. Sorry. I’m crap at remembering names.”
“How do you know us?” asks Jamie, arms behind his back still.
“I don’t. I presumed—if he’s Andrei Tepes.”
The faint moonlight doesn’t help us make out his expression, and I should check his intentions. As I take a tentative tug at the corner of his mind, my vision blackens.
“Don’t be rude, Andrei,” he says with a laugh. “I’m happy to speak to you all, about anything you want to know, if you come with me instead of walking to your deaths.”
I frown. This guy reminds me of Tobias but with sarcasm added to the condescension.
“You could be waiting here to kill us," says Jamie. “Why would we go anywhere with you?”
Alaric smiles. “Because I know Amelia, and she’ll be happy to see you.”
Chapter Fifteen
ASH
I stand outside the old Victorian house Alaric drove us to, on the corner between two streets and surrounded by high hedges. A light shines behind the curtains in the downstairs window and illuminates a window box filled with small flowers. The black and white tiles that shine on the porch floor are lit by a single light to the right of a blue door.
The decision to come here took time. At the mention of Amelia’s name, Jamie was all for running after Alaric, but I’m cautious. I can’t read minds or sense emotions, but a random witch approaching us in the woods outside the Blackwood estate? Suspicious.
Alaric called back that he wouldn’t touch the grimoire, but that Amelia might not be happy Jamie has the book. Each confusing reference he makes to our missing friend encourages the other guys to follow as if he cast a spell.
The final decision comes when Andrei reminds us that we’ve a few hours left before daybreak.
A short drive in an old, white sedan car later and we arrived here.
Jamie hasn’t loosened his grip on the book since we landed in the woods and the hope on his face sways me to believe Alaric is genuine. Andrei’s eyes dart around, half-hidden by his fringe as he slouches, back in defensive mode.
“We have somewhere for you to rest, Andrei,” says Alaric as he opens the front door.
“I won’t be resting much. I want to find Maeve.”
“Of course, you do, but daylight isn’t your friend. We have another hemia vamp who can show you that you’re safe.”
“I want to see Amelia,” Jamie says gruffly and pushes past me.
Still not a hundred percent after the blood and spell, I steady myself on the wall and glare at the back of Jamie’s head. I'm saving my energy in case we need to fight our way out of here.
I follow them into a small hallway tiled to match the porch. A set of stairs leading upwards faces us, with a hallway to the left that leads toward an open door.
“I found them!” Alaric calls and jingles the keys around a finger.
Amelia appears in the doorway at the end of the hall before her small figure rushes towards us and straight into Jamie.
“I knew you’d be stupid!” she scolds, grabbing the book off him before wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug.
Book st
ill in hand, she breaks free and slams her tiny figure into me, attempting to wrap her arms around my waist and failing.
“I can’t believe you’re here!”
“Uh. Same,” says Jamie.
Andrei’s body language clearly warns Amelia not to touch him and she smiles instead. “Hey, Andrei.”
“Hey.”
Alaric claps his hand together. “I do love a happy reunion. We don't see many.”
“You still haven’t told us who ‘we’ are,” I say and pull myself to full height.
He grins at my posturing. “Friendly. Come on.”
"Trust them," says Amelia.
Alaric leads us to the doorway Amelia walked through, and into a large room. Heavy curtains are drawn across windows and a large table dominates the room. A couple of comfy-looking armchairs are at the edge of the room, with a handful of dining chairs around the table.
A girl with long blue hair beneath a black beanie sits with one knee tucked under her chin, a hoodie the same colour as her hair unzipped over a black shirt. She regards us as she slowly drinks from a can. Witch?
Beside her, a guy my size rests his forearms on the table and sizes us up with bright green eyes. Shifter. Definitely.
A map covers half the table, partially obscured by empty cans and fast food cartons.
“Amelia was right, then,” says the blue-haired girl. “They arrived to help the witch.”
“Maeve,” says Andrei tersely.
She scratches a cheek as she looks at him. “Which one’s Jamie?”
Amelia chuckles. “You can tell who the witch is.”
“Yeah. Amelia says you had a pendant. Still have it?”
Jamie shakes his head.
“Fuck. Alaric.” She looks to him. “Now what?”
“This makes things harder but not impossible.” He opens a noodle box and peers inside then sniffs. “Is this mine, Saul?”
“Yeah,” replies Saul. “Izzy ate all your dumplings, though.”
“Huh.” Alaric grabs a pair of chopsticks from the table and digs in.
What the hell? This situation is urgent and he’s eating?
“Sit,” he says through a mouthful. “I’d share but I’m bloody starving. That’s my second night walking around the perimeter of the Blackwood estate looking for you. I’m glad it’s the last.”
“How did you know we’d come?” asks Jamie.
He slurps a noodle into his mouth. “The minute Amelia knew Maeve was in the estate, she told me at least one of you would arrive.”
Amelia smiles and sits beside Alaric. “Yep.”
“Although the blood magic decision wasn’t smart,” he continues.
Izzy coughs out the drink in her mouth and it spatters across the map. “What the fuck?”
“We didn’t know where the place was,” Jamie protests. “Using Andrei's memories and a spell was the only way.”
“And quickest,” I mumble.
Saul rubs his chin. “And you’re Vincent’s brother, right?”
“He’s not my brother.”
His brown eyes fill with sympathy. “Sorry, man.”
“Do you know more about the situation with Vincent?”
“Oh, yeah,” says Alaric. “We know a lot about him.”
“We tried to stop him,” says Izzy coldly. “Our friend Regan disappeared investigating him.”
Regan? The witch in the barn? “Oh, shit,” I breathe out. “If Regan is a witch, I think I saw him. Skinny guy? Short black hair.”
“Where?” Saul straightens. “Is he alive?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I doubt it.”
“When did you see him?” Alaric drops the chopsticks on the table and places down the box. “Tell me everything you know.”
The three of us remain standing, uncomfortable in this strange group’s house, as I relay the events I can remember from the night at the farmhouse with Vince. The events wiped from my mind until the horrific truth emerged.
Izzy stands and turns away, arms crossed with her head tipped upwards. Crying? “I told you,” she says, voice thick with tears. “Now Anton is inside those evil bastards' house. What if he's next?”
Saul slumps forward, head in hands. "Fuck."
Izzy spins around. "This is happening too often, Alaric. We need to be more careful."
He taps the table. "Collateral."
"You bastard!" she half-yells. "These are people you're talking about."
"They know what they signed up for, Izzy. If you don't want to be involved, you know where the door is."
Whoa. I arch a brow at Jamie. How is Amelia caught up in this?
"Fuck you!" she shouts and storms from the room. I wince as the kitchen door slams behind her.
Saul stands. "Dude, have some empathy."
He shoves curls from his face. "I'd rather cut the crap and not sugarcoat our reality."
"Yeah, but you could use a better word than collateral," I interrupt.
Alaric blinks at me. "What else do you call unwanted deaths in a war?"
Chapter Sixteen
JAMIE
The outburst between Izzy and Alaric takes the edge off reassurance we've found people who could help.
War.
Again.
How many sides are there to this battle?
Alaric's reply silences Ash and the rest of the room, and I stand uncomfortably as Alaric leaves the room, closely followed by Saul.
How many people live here? Where are they all?
Ash sits and looks around the room, but I stare at Amelia.
“Why the hell did you leave the academy and not tell us where you were?” I blurt.
She crosses her arms. “Because you would’ve stopped me. I needed to find Matt before that place killed him.”
Ash snaps his head around. “You went to Ravenhold?”
“No.”
“Did you find Matt?” I ask, heart quickening as I watch her face for signs of tears.
“Yes.”
“Where is he?”
Her face clouds. “He’s with Kai— the guy who leads the group with Alaric. They’re following a Confederacy bigwig to see if he’s linked to Dominion.”
I blink. “Isn't that dangerous?”
“Possibly,” she says, but her expression says ‘yes’. "You heard what Alaric said."
“You’re telling us that you broke Matt out of Ravenhold somehow? Or someone else did—these guys?” interrupts Andrei.
Amelia wrinkles her nose. “I've had a tricky few months. Tell me what’s happened at the academy since I left.”
I glance at Ash. Amelia is avoiding the questions, but as long as she and Matt are okay, I can wait for her story.
And we have a hell of a story for Amelia.
Amelia listens in silence, her large brown eyes growing wider as I alternate with Ash to tell the shocking stories. Andrei finishes our round-up with yesterday's disaster. Each event runs through my mind and my stomach clenches with exactly how much we’ve been through.
“Shit,” she says. “I don't know what to say.”
“Do you think your new friends can help?” I ask her. “I don’t understand who they are or how you came to know them.”
"Do they want to help?" puts in Andrei. "He's one serious dude."
“They helped me and Matt. I’m sure they’ll help with this too. They may not have a personal connection to Maeve, but they won’t want her with Dominion.”
I can't hold back any longer. “You should’ve called us as soon as you were safe, Amelia! I’ve worried about you every single day!”
Amelia curls her small, soft hand around mine. “I couldn’t. The people I’m with struggle to stay hidden. You’ve heard what happens when someone is found.”
Ash dips his head as Amelia looks at him.
Regan.
“Then you need to leave. You’re in danger,” I say.
She sighs. “Jamie. I’m in danger whether I'm here or at the academy. I’d prefer to be here, right
now.”
Ash mutters something under his breath and swipes a hand across the top of his head.
“What?” she asks him tersely.
“If you knew about Vincent, why didn’t you contact me?”
Amelia blinks. “Because I don’t know much. I’m not told everything. I just know he’s working with the Dominion and has disappeared again.”
“He isn’t Vincent. A necromancer created him when he died.” Ash stares at the table, his voice flat.
“Oh, Ash! I don't know that.” Amelia shoves her chair back and walks around to wrap her arms around his shoulders. He stays tense against her hug as Amelia rests her head on top of his. “I’m sorry. I know how much he meant to you.”
“S’all good,” he mumbles.
I meet Amelia’s troubled eyes and give a small shake of the head. I forget how small and fragile she is, but there’s a new strength around her. Dropping her embrace, she holds out her arms to me and I stand, hugging her close, comforted that she’s unhurt.
“Alaric thinks Maeve will be okay,” she says brightly as she pulls away. "The Dominion want to teach her, not hurt her."
"Brainwash," I say.
“Show her the picture, Jamie,” growls Andrei.
Swallowing, I drag my phone from a pocket and open the message, averting my eyes from the image as I pass it to her.
Amelia’s hand flies to her mouth as she stares.
“But she’s alive,” she says in a muffled voice. "There's a—"
The kitchen door opens and closes as Alaric wanders in. He cocks his head as he looks between us. “Why the tension? Aren’t you happy to be together again?”
Amelia holds out the phone with a shaking hand and Alaric takes hold. His neutral expression drops into horror as he studies the screen.
“Who sent you this?” he demands. “Whose phone is this?”
“Someone from the estate. Possibly Gabriella. They want the book and Andrei in return for Maeve,” I say.
Alaric drops into the nearest chair and pushes the phone back over to me. “Shit. Izzy needs to contact Anton.” He rests his elbows on the table and runs both hands through his hair. “I need to know what’s happening in the house.”
