by J. L. Weil
His expression never wavered. “There are things in this world I’ll never understand, like how you were ever into Liam.”
I frowned.
“But only a fool ignores what he doesn’t understand. I’m no fool, minx. Magic is more than tricks and glamour. And you’re more than a pretty face. You’re smart and clever.”
Wow. Two compliments at once. I might fall dead from shock. It was strange opening up to him. For so long, I’d kept this part of my life a secret, but somehow, in a brief time, Zavier had managed to weasel his way into the hidden layers I kept locked away. I bit my lip, contemplating how much further I wanted to pull Zavier in. I still had trust issues, yet I found that I wanted someone to talk with.
Running a hand through my hair, I made the decision, my shoulders relaxing. “I’m not entirely sure what happened. The dream started out as many of them have since my mother died. Visions of the past, her memories.”
His features softened. “You get glimpses of before the Rift?”
I nodded. “I believe that’s what they are. I could hear chanting from a cave on the bluffs, the Rift witches. The sea was rolling in and out on the coast, and a swarm of bats dived from the mouth of the cave. It all felt so real, as if I were there. I drew closer to the flickering of candles in the cave, and Lilith showed up.”
“Lilith?” Zavier echoed. “The vampire queen?”
“Is there another one?”
“Let’s hope not,” he mumbled.
He echoed my sentiment exactly. “Things took a turn for the dark side once she appeared.”
“Did she try to hurt you?” He jumped to the right conclusion, his eyes narrowing with worry.
I lifted my hand and turned my wrist, glancing at the inside where she had helped herself to a sampling of my blood. I hadn’t noticed it before, but there were two fresh fang marks. “That can’t be,” I muttered, feeling the room spin.
Zavier suddenly closed the space between us. I wasn’t sure how he moved so fast, but his hand flashed out, grasping my wrist and causing tingles to radiate over my skin. “She did this? She bit you?” The pad of his thumb glided over the twin marks that ran along the vein.
“I-I don’t know. It was a dream.” My eyes flicked to his, relieved to see not a single look of judgment. “How could this be real? She took a little of my blood. If this had been magic—a spell—it was of the dark arts.”
“That we can agree on. You’re going to need wards to protect your dreams.” His fingers still held my wrist, and he lifted my arm. “These runes aren’t going to be enough to keep Lilith out.”
I arched a brow. “You know a lot about magic for a human. Not to mention, you shouldn’t be able to see my runes.”
“I told you I was full of surprises. Believe it or not, I grew up with a witch.”
A wisp of hair fell over my face. “Colin said you trained together. I don’t remember ever seeing you.”
“I remember you.”
“Every part of that sentence horrifies me.”
He twirled the stray curl around his finger. “Your hair was more red than brown then. Always following Colin and Liam around, getting into more trouble than they could get you out of. They were very protective of you, even then.”
I swallowed. “You have no magic in your blood. I would know.”
He was no longer touching me, and I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or disappointed. “You’re right,” he said. Two words I imagined were difficult for Zavier to utter. “I don’t have magic. I’m not a witch, but I was raised by someone who was. Not a blood relative. She was closer to me than my own mother, though.”
Several feelings rushed me at once. Pain and sorrow were on the top of the heap. I wasn’t the only one opening up. There was a lot he wasn’t telling me, but I was beginning to trust the warden. “She’s gone, isn’t she?” I could see his sadness, feel his pain. It was as real as mine, and it clogged the air between us, reflecting in those starlight eyes.
Tipping back his head, he let out a weary sigh. “It’s been two years now, but it feels like yesterday.”
Were Zavier and I having a heart-to-heart? I hadn’t thought to feel sympathy for the cocky warden, but I guessed it was possible we had more in common than I thought. “The missing them never goes away, does it?” I asked.
“I understand your desire to make the one who took your mother pay, but know it is a dangerous game you’re playing. If Lilith is somehow involved, you’re in more trouble than I thought.”
“How is it you know so much about my life and what I want? Better yet, how do you know about Lilith?”
“The vampire and I have crossed paths a time or two. Neither of us came away without a scar. She isn’t someone I would trample with alone. Lilith doesn’t have an honest or truthful bone in her body.”
“And you do?” I challenged. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.
“I might be willing to color out of the lines, but I know the difference between good and evil.”
I hoped so, because there would come a time I might very well need Zavier to save my ass. I thought it best not to mention that yet.
Zavier and I walked the narrow, pebbled streets of the market with its sunbaked shops. Dusk gave the air a quiet blue hue with hints of lavender. Breathing in the sea, I let the noise of the village drown out the voices in my head.
The past touched every part of my life, so I took the few moments of calmness, because a storm was on the horizon. I sensed it in the air. Darkness was brewing.
The smear of black rolled in with the fog, so thick it clogged my windpipe. How does no one else feel it?
No one else but Zavier Cross, anyway.
Very few wardens were open to things such as prophesies and premonitions, yet Zavier took everything I threw at him in stride. The man was definitely not human, and the more I pondered on it, the more certain I was. My instincts were telling me he was hiding something, and he was going to great lengths to keep it buried.
“Colin is concerned that you are up to no good,” Zavier said, breaking the silence.
As he should be. “What do you plan to tell him?” I asked. Zavier knew my secrets. He knew about the coven meetings, that Lilith was looking for a witch, most likely me, and that I hadn’t given up my desire for revenge, but I knew none of Zavier’s secrets. He had an unfair advantage, but not for long. I’d find a way to uncover the truth, and if there was one thing I was, it was persistent, annoyingly so.
His brows furrowed. “I haven’t decided. I guess it depends on you, and if you plan to continue this absurd notion to kill Lilith.”
The patter of our footsteps sounded in time. “If I told you I no longer wished to see her burn, would you believe me?”
“No.” he said without hesitation.
“So you don’t want me to lie to you?”
“You’re not going to reconsider, are you? What if I threaten to tell Colin? Will you give it up then?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a choice. I must. It has gone beyond mere revenge. This is the only way to keep the Bay safe.”
“Even if it means your death?” he challenged, as if death would scare me.
“You wouldn’t let that happen. I’m counting on your superb skills to keep me alive.”
“Skylar, you have a way of making my job very difficult.”
I grinned. “I’m keeping you on your toes, comrade.”
His lips moved into a frown. “Nobody lives forever, but it is your choice what to do with your future, to go forward or back.”
“If I don’t have justice, I don’t think I’ll ever find peace.” What was it about Zavier that made me tell him things I’d only ever thought?
He raised a dark brow. “Not even for love?”
I bit my lower lip. “I don’t know. I’ve never been in love.”
“Now that’s a damn shame.” There was humor in his voice.
“And what do you know about love?” Zavier didn’t strike me as t
he kind of guy who was into serious relationships. I hadn’t thought of it before, but did he have a girlfriend? The idea made my stomach drop, and there might have been a tinge of jealousy. “Let me guess, girls everywhere fall at your feet.”
A grin split his lips. “Well yes, but that’s not the point. You broke things off with Liam before it got serious. I’m just saying that revenge can consume you if you let it. You never know what you might be missing out on. Love is like breathing. Once you find it, you can’t survive without it.”
I rolled my eyes. He sounded like a poet. “Thanks for the pep talk, but my love life is not your concern.” I turned the handle on the door to the shop, intending to push it open, but Zavier beat me to it. I gave him a look.
“You look like crap today.” Tulip said the moment I strolled in with my shadow behind me.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” I grumbled.
A faint smile curved on Zavier’s lips.
I scowled, suppressing the need to put my elbow into his gut.
Tulip’s eyes bounced between the warden and me, and her mouth twitched. “You two are acting weird. So tell me, Zavier, did Sky have a rough night?”
The insinuation in her tone made my cheeks burn. “Tulip,” I hissed. “We have work to do,” I gritted between my teeth. I went to the counter and unloaded the bag of herbs I had drying from the other day.
Tulip’s tawny eyes glanced to the window. “It’s raining out in case you hadn’t noticed, and I’d much rather interrogate your sexy warden.”
What? It was raining? I had been outside a moment ago. When did that happen? My gaze flicked to the window, which was being pummeled with big drops of water. What a strange day this was turning out to be. “Zavier has better things to do than gossip with you.”
He cleared his throat.
I was about to tell Zavier to stop encouraging Tulip when the door to the shop blew open, letting in a gust of air and the scent of trouble. Papers whooshed off my desk, scattering on the floor. Two seconds later, Abbey stormed inside, crowding the small space. Her cloak was drenched from the rain, the hood shielding her face, but I could tell something was wrong. Tears mixed with the droplets of water, her eyes puffy and red.
Outside of the coven, the five of us rarely spoke. It was safer that way. If Abbey was here, something was very wrong.
Zavier straightened, his eyes going bright.
“Abbey, what is it? What happened?” I asked.
Chapter 11
“It’s Katie. She’s gone. Ohmygod. What do I do? She’s just gone.” Abbey started rambling, her words jumbled and not making any sense as she paced from one wall to the other.
I stood and grabbed her hands, forcing her to stop moving and look at me. “Whoa, Abbey. Slow down.”
Her face was so pale. I was afraid she might collapse before I understood what had her in such a frantic state. “They took her. The Berkano vampires took my sister.”
My equilibrium wavered. Katie? She was a little girl, only eight or nine. What did the vampires want with her? There were rules in place, but as of late, more and more of the laws were being disregarded. “When?” I asked, the wheels in my head spinning.
Tulip looked confused. She knew of the coven, but only knew them by name, had never seen their faces. And here was one trembling, eyes wide, on the brink of hysteria.
Zavier was suddenly beside Abbey, his arm slipped over her shoulder, keeping her on her feet. The muscle in his jaw drummed. I thanked him silently with my eyes, regardless that he was amped up to kick some vampire ass. His anger was outlined in every part of his body, but it was his eyes that shimmered with barely controlled rage. I could taste it in the air.
Abbey’s shoulders heaved as a sob tore through her chest. “Y-yesterday.”
“Colin said there was an attack yesterday in the village,” I prodded.
Abbey nodded. “She was there with my father. What am I going to do?”
I took her hand. “Nothing. You are going to go home and comfort your ma. Colin will handle it. He will get Katie back.” I made my voice steady and full of conviction. She had to believe my brother would fix this.
We both needed to believe it. The alternative was too dreadful. If Katie was taken for what I suspected, then the entire coven was at risk.
“I’m afraid, Skylar. This is my fault. If I hadn’t—”
“Shh.” I wrapped my arms around her. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I’ve should have seen this coming,” she whispered, holding onto me.
“You know the gift doesn’t work that way. We can’t always dictate what we see.”
“She’s just a kid, and I swear, Sky, I can sense her fear. She’s so scared and alone.”
I pulled back, keeping my hands on her shoulders. “Tulip, can you take Abbey home? Make sure she gets there. We’re closing the shop. I need to see Colin.”
“You’ll be okay?” Tulip asked, already on her feet.
“I’ve got him,” I said, nodding my head at Zavier. He had remained silent during my exchange with Abbey, but his eyes were as hard as steel.
“Right. You owe me,” Tulip muttered as she steered Abbey toward the door. “You know I don’t like getting mixed up in your hocus pocus.”
She didn’t, but my love life she had no problem butting right in. “Take her straight home. Don’t talk to anyone.”
“In this weather, I wouldn’t think about it.” And then they were gone, the sheets of rain washing away their outline.
Zavier held the door open as his eyes found mine. “Move your pretty little butt, minx. We need to notify your brother. The longer the vampires have her, the harder it will be to track them and where they’ve taken her.”
He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know, and I wasn’t in the mood to be bossed around. I only wanted to get Katie back, and get rid of the vampire who threatened the entire Bay. “Real helpful,” I muttered, intertwining our hands.
A dark brow lifted. “Now might not be the best time to hold hands.”
I shot him a hateful look. “Shut up and be quiet. The sound of your voice is breaking my concentration.” I squeezed my eyes closed, letting my power seep into my veins. Tingles spread over my body from head to toe, and the rune on my back radiated. Zavier was in for a surprise, and if it had been another situation, I would have enjoyed the look on his face.
Those dark brows furrowed. “What are you—?”
Swoop.
The air surrounding us kicked up in ribbons of magic, and my body became weightless. I tightened my hold on Zavier, letting the spell take us away as we flew into the dark.
When the light broke through the blackness, we were no longer in the shop, but outside, only feet away from the compound. I shrugged as Zavier blinked, pinning me with a stern glare of displeasure. “This was faster,” I told him.
“Next time you decide to use your sorcery on me, a little forewarning would be nice,” he grumbled, pulling his hand from my clutch and shaking it out.
“I can’t make any promises.”
Neither of us spoke as we raced up the hill toward the compound. Everyone was going about their business, unaware I was filled with a smorgasbord of emotions. Rage. Worry. Sadness. Outrage.
I was lost in my own head when my name roared from Zavier’s lips. Before I could react, he shoved me down. The guards stationed on the ground moved into action, shouting out commands. Through the chaos, Zavier let a steady curse. I glanced at the warden and gasped. Zavier’s warm blood was on my hand, and there was an arrow sticking out of his chest.
“Oh my God. You’re shot.”
“I’ll be fine. It missed the heart,” he said through gritted teeth. “Are you hurt?” he asked. Pain etched on his face, yet he was concerned about me.
I pushed away from him, to look at how bad the wound was. “Don’t move. Let me look at it.”
He didn’t listen. The next thing I knew, he yanked the arrow out and more blood was flowing.
/> “Holy fucking hell.”
“I bet that hurt. It’s what you get for not listening to me,” I stated briskly. “Help me get him inside,” I instructed the guards closest.
“I don’t need their damn help. I can bloody well stand on my own.”
Someone was ultra-crabby when in pain. I filed that away for the future if Zavier ever decided to take an arrow for me again. “Fine, but if you bleed out before I get a chance to save you, I’m going to be pissed.”
His eyes were like flints of steel, face lined with determination as he pushed to his feet. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been shot, minx, and probably not the last. Your worry for me is touching.”
I rolled my eyes.
Colin burst through the door. “How’s he doing?”
Rubbing my hands on my thighs, I stood up from where I’d sat on Zavier’s bed. “He’s angry and uncooperative, but he’ll live.”
“I’d be more pleasant, if she would stop poking me,” Zavier growled.
“I’m grateful for your reflexes, and for keeping my sister safe. I owe you,” Colin told the grumpy patient.
“I should have reacted sooner. I won’t make that mistake again. Did you find out who it was?”
Colin nodded. “A vampire.”
Zavier’s head fell back against the pillow, his eyes staring at the ceiling. “Of course it was. He knew I would intercept the arrow.”
“Those were my thoughts as well,” Colin agreed.
“Why would the vampire try to kill you?” I asked. There was something they weren’t saying, and I wanted to know what it was, seeing as they felt the need to keep it from me.
Amusement flickered briefly in Zavier’s eyes. “To get to you. The vampire wasn’t trying to kill you. He wanted to capture you. Easiest way to do that is to take me out.”
I swallowed the golf ball-sized lump that had suddenly formed in my throat, fighting the urge to sit down again. “She’s been searching for a witch with the blood of an original,” I said, almost in a trance. Lilith had found me.
