“I think I know where to find it,” I said. “But … Alex was wearing it when I killed him. He wasn’t more powerful than normal.”
“Like I said, the amulet has to accept the person who wears it. Only then you’ll be able to access its powers.”
“The amulet didn’t accept Alex,” I muttered.
“Because he wasn’t worthy,” Lord Reynard said. “Just a warning: In order to acquire the amulet, you’ll have to make a great sacrifice—a truth you will have to reveal in order to prove you’re worthy of the amulet’s power.”
Right now, I would do anything to end the war as soon as possible and find a way to save Thea. If I got the Blood Amulet, I could cross off one of those items from my to-do list.
“I can’t …” Keeran gasped. “Hold it for too much longer.”
“I think we’re done here,” Lord Reynard said. “Goodbye, Drake.”
There was so much more I wanted to talk to him about, to ask him, but I couldn’t hold him here forever. “Thank you.”
“Take the castle back, Drake, and continue my legacy.”
Keeran released the power—Lord Reynard became a black shadow before evaporating into the air—and fell on his knees.
“Are you okay?” I hooked an arm around his shoulder and helped him to the couch.
Breathing hard, Keeran lay down. “Give me a minute.”
A minute was too long. We had to do something now. “Thomas!” I called out, not so loud as to wake up Thea. Thomas appeared in front of me, his ghost form more transparent than usual. “Is there something wrong?”
Thomas shrugged. “It has been hard to keep my form lately.”
“But you can still be around even if we can’t see you?”
His brows knotted. “Yes.”
“Then I have a favor to ask,” I said. “Go to DuMoir Castle and find Alex’s body. We were fighting on the staircase leading to the third floor. His body is probably there, under all the stones.”
“And?”
“Check to see if he’s wearing Lord Reynard’s silver cross necklace. I need that.”
“That’s ominous,” he said, sounding every bit like a whiny sixteen-year-old teenager.
“There’s a powerful stone hidden inside the amulet. We need it.”
“That makes more sense.” He saluted me by tapping his hand from his forehead. “I’ll get on that.”
A moment later, he was gone and I began my favorite hobby: pacing and worrying.
“I’m sorry the spell didn’t work,” Keeran said, sitting up. “I should have summoned someone who could answer your question, and yet, we summoned Lord Reynard. The only connection that I see here is that he was close to you.”
“It’s okay,” I muttered. “At least we got useful information out of him.”
I frowned, thinking of what Lord Reynard had told me. A long time ago, Sarki had had a vision of me being the leader of the vampires. Hell. Each time I thought of myself on the throne, I hated it. I hated that image. I hated what I could turn into once I had all that power in my hands. But … there was no one else. Not here, not right now. If I didn’t take the throne, if I didn’t save the vampires and the other supernaturals, things would only spiral out of control more and more. Maybe once everything was orderly again, I could find someone else to rule in my place.
But for a while, I would have to endure it.
And somehow I would make sure Thea lived long enough to see it.
14
Thea
“Are you all gonna stand there and just watch me?”
“Yes,” Luana was the first to answer. She was leaning against the open door of the guest bedroom-slash-workshop, her arms crossed, and her eyes narrowed.
I chuckled. “At least one of us is sincere.”
Keeran stepped to my side and handed me the vial with white crystal powder. “Here.”
I took it from him. “Thank you.”
I opened the vial and measured the powder. Then, I mixed it with the other ingredients in the mortar.
“Are you sure it won’t take too much energy from you?” Drake asked for the hundredth time. He paced in front of the table, but I decided to ignore him since that was his favorite pastime the last couple of weeks.
Luana groaned. “Ask that one more time and I’ll bite you.”
Drake glared at her.
“Stop you two,” I said, my tone firm. “If you keep bickering, I’m gonna kick you both out of this room.”
Keeran snickered. “You know you’re talking to a vampire and a werewolf, right?”
I glanced at him. “Which side are you on?”
“If I say yours, what do I get?”
I punched his shoulder, and he had the decency of pretending it hurt.
When I looked at Drake, he was staring at me, a small smile on his lips. Heat spread over my cheeks.
With Keeran’s help, and under Drake’s and Luana’s guarded gazes, I mixed the rest of the ingredients and used a small amount of magic to get the potion going.
I dropped the pestle and stared at the mortar and the thick white liquid inside.
“What now?” Luana asked.
“We should go outside for this next part,” I said.
Keeran took the mortar and Drake took my hand. We went to the backyard, where there was a larger lawn area. Per my request, Luana brought two mirrors. One was a mirror the size of my open hand, and the other was the larger mirror from the half bath.
“What do I do with these?” she asked.
“Put them down, side by side, mirror turned to the sky,” I explained. She did as I said. “Now, I’ll pour the potion over the mirrors, and supposedly, we’ll be able to see them.”
Drake stepped to my side. “Do you know what you’re gonna say to them?”
“I think so,” I said, feeling a little intimidated to meet with the witch queens like this. I wasn’t requesting their presence. I was demanding it.
They could snap their fingers and break my neck.
I pushed those thoughts and fears aside and focused on what had to be done. We didn’t have much choice here.
Taking a deep breath, I poured half of the white potion over one mirror, and the second half over the other.
Next, I lifted my hands over the mirrors and channeled my magic. A small flicker answered and retreated. Come on, I begged. I called it again, but only a spark appeared. It started warming my veins, but a second later, it was gone, leaving only cold behind.
I sighed, realizing I might not have the power needed for this spell.
One more time, I focused, calling my magic. I gritted my teeth and implored for it to show up, to hold, to help me. My arms shook.
“Thea …” Drake’s voice was a low growl, a warning.
I ignored him and pushed. If I fainted, so be it. I had to call them.
Then, a big hand landed on my shoulder, and strong, pure magic flooded my veins. I gasped as Keeran lent me his power. Damn, he was strong. But I didn’t have time to marvel. Instead, I channeled his magic and called on the witch queens.
A white light shone from the mirror, and a thin veil appeared on top of them—a faint image on the mirror, but instead of reflecting what was in front of it, it showed two figures.
Queen Rosilla of the Bluemoon coven and Queen Sarah of the Blackmarsh coven.
“What is it?” Queen Rosilla asked, her tone harsh.
“Who dared summon me?” Queen Sarah asked, her voice equally cold.
While Queen Sarah looked like the ice queen with her fair skin and long silver braid, Queen Rosilla looked like the summer empress with smooth, black skin and full black curls. And, even at this time of the night, both of them were dressed in full gowns, as if ready for a ball.
Keeran stepped away, so the queens only saw me. “I’m Thea Harrington from the Silverblood coven.”
“You!” Queen Sarah hissed. She lifted her hand, showing off the red marks on her skin. “You did this to me.”
I pushed aside t
he exhaustion falling over me and faced them, head held high. “I apologize for that, though I won’t lie when I say I wouldn’t have done differently if I had the chance.”
She clicked her tongue. “What do you want?”
“I want to propose an alliance,” I said.
Queen Rosilla laughed. “What? Is that some kind of joke?”
“I don’t know how much you know—”
“I know enough,” Queen Sarah cut me off. “I heard how you betrayed your coven, hid the heart without telling anyone, and then turned against Princess Morda, saying you’re the Witch Queen.”
“I heard the same,” Queen Rosilla said. “And now you’re hiding, afraid of Princess Morda’s wrath.”
“Do you know what Princess Morda calls herself these days?”
Queen Sarah’s fair cheeks turned red. “Queen of All Witches. What a joke. Don’t try to tell me she’s right.”
“She’s delusional,” Queen Rosilla said.
“She is delusional, and I can prove it,” I said.
Queen Sarah narrowed her eyes at me. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not the witch queen as I first thought.” I rested my hand on my belly, a gesture that was become a habit. “My daughter is.”
“W-what?” Queen Rosilla barked. “What nonsense is this?”
“I’m pregnant, and recently I learned my daughter is not only the witch queen of the Silverblood coven, but she’s also Queen of All Witches.”
Queen Sarah gaped at me. “That’s absurd. There hasn’t been a Queen of All Witches in centuries. Over a millennium, actually.”
“And you’re saying your daughter is the next one.” Queen Rosilla scoffed. “How would you know?”
“Because Bagatha told me.”
Both queens turned pale.
“W-what?” Queen Rosilla asked.
“But … we assumed Bagatha died long ago,” Queen Sarah said.
“Well, until a while ago, I assumed the Queen of All Witches was a fictitious title used in stories to scare little witches. But turns out, she’s real and still alive and powerful.”
Queen Sarah’s eyes tuned hard. “If she’s so powerful, then she should come out of hiding and defeat Morda.”
I shook my head. “She’s powerful, but not that powerful anymore. Her magic is fading now that a new queen is about to come to life.”
Queen Rosilla crossed her arms. “You said you would prove what Morda is saying is a lie, but what you’re telling us now may very well be a lie, too.”
Queen Sarah’s eyes widened. “That’s right. Who says you’re not lying now?”
“I’m not lying,” I insisted.
“That’s not convincing anyone,” Queen Sarah said.
What could I do to prove to them my words were true? I couldn’t show them that Bagatha was alive. Even showing them my growing belly wasn’t enough, because this could be a normal witch pregnancy. There was no way to show them the Immortal Vow.
I frowned, worried I wouldn’t gain their trust, or even a minute more of their time.
A force burst inside me.
I gasped with its strength. The force, the pure magic, filled my veins and moved my body by itself. My arms extended in front of me and white light shone from my palms. In sync, the queens’ eyes turned white. They stood frozen, while the magic acted—a magic coming from my daughter.
After a minute, the light faded and the power retreated.
I opened my mouth to ask them if they were okay, to ask them what exactly had happened, but Queen Sarah put a hand over her heart and said, “I can’t explain what that was other than a strong, pure magic. It poured over me and I felt it. I felt her. I felt the Queen of All Witches.”
“Me too,” Queen Rosilla said, her voice a thin whisper. “I couldn’t see her, I couldn’t grasp the magic, but I felt her as well. I now believe you’re carrying the Queen of All Witches.”
Hope bloomed in my chest. “Will you help us now?”
The queens took a moment, thinking.
“I propose we put our differences aside and come together in two full moons to see if we can really work together,” Queen Sarah said.
Two full moons. That was almost two months away. By then, I would be on the sixth month of pregnancy. From what we knew, I would be weak and hurting all over.
“Why not earlier?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound that desperate.
“Because this can’t be taken lightly,” Queen Sarah explained. “And I would rather have some time to think and talk to my advisors.”
“Agreed.” Queen Rosilla nodded. “Even if you have us convinced, if we don’t do this the right away, we can arouse a rebellion inside our own covens, and that’s what we least need right now.”
I understood their points, but they didn’t understand mine. I wouldn’t waste my time explaining to them that my pregnancy would be even worse than a normal witch pregnancy because of the Immortal Vow. I was already grateful they were willing to meet us and try to work together. I would take whatever I could.
“Where do you suggest we meet?” I asked.
“The Undying Well,” Queen Rosilla said.
“A sacred placed where our magic was first wrought to earth,” Queen Sarah muttered. “No witch can be killed on sacred ground, which makes the Undying Well the perfect place for our meeting.”
I nodded. “See you on the second full moon.”
15
Drake
Like this, sleeping peacefully in our bed, Thea seemed like a normal, beautiful pregnant woman. I could pretend she didn’t suffer with pain and exhaustion when she was awake. I could pretend she didn’t drink tonic after tonic: one to keep her strength, one to help with the pain, one to make her sleep better, and so on. I could pretend she would be all right in the end.
All of that was far from the freaking truth.
Since the talk with the witches almost two months ago, Thea had gradually grown weaker. She barely got out of bed now, and she barely ate. Half of what she ate, she threw up. And half of the time when she was sleeping, she woke up drenched in sweat because of her terrible nightmares.
Nightmares about our daughter—Morda taking her and raising her as her evil minion; Morda killing her in the most painful ways; Thea and I dying in this war and leaving her alone …
Nothing I did or said put Thea’s mind and heart at ease. To be honest, mine weren’t either. I had had two more months searching and following clues, and nothing brought me closer to finding a way of saving Thea. I had even visited Bagatha a couple of times—she was also searching and researching, but to no avail.
If she didn’t know how to save Thea, how would I?
But I couldn’t give up yet. We still had three months until our daughter’s birth. It was plenty of time to find a cure, a solution.
Thea moaned and turned to the side. The thin sheet slid down, revealing her big belly. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Thea had always been stunning, but now with her round belly and fuller breasts …. I tsked. Hell, I desired and loved her even more.
I groaned as lust traveled south, giving me a hard on. It had been a while since we had last made love, and I didn’t think it would happen again anytime soon. If I allowed my thoughts to wander, I realized that without a way of saving her, I would probably never make love to Thea again.
I could live for all eternity, but without her? What was the point?
I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. I would find a freaking way to save her, even if I had to trade my immortality for it.
But first, I needed a drink.
Feeling defeated, I dragged my feet to the kitchen.
“Hey,” Keeran said from one of the stools at the island. He didn’t even lift his head from the pile of dusty books in front of him. I was glad to see someone here was as worried about Thea as I was.
“Hey.” I walked to the walk-in pantry and grabbed a bottle of wine from the top rack of the wine cooler, and a bottle from the bottom rack. I brought b
oth to the island and offered one to Keeran. “Here.” He raised an eyebrow. “It’s wine.” I lifted the other bottle. “This one is blood.”
Keeran took the bottle from me, and using a bottle opener he found in one of the drawers, he opened and poured a glassful for himself. He got another glass and left it beside the bottle. “For Luana when she comes back.”
“She went out for a run again?”
He nodded. “Third time today. And when she’s not running, she’s helping me go through these books.” He gestured to the books spread out everywhere. Soon, I would have to change this house’s title from private residence to library.
I sighed. Like Keeran and Luana, I had read through all these books twice or three times. Even the books I bought last week. But besides researching ominous books and visiting museums that could contain witch things disguised as things from other cultures, I didn’t know what else to do, where else to look.
Once more feeling the weight of my failure on my shoulders, I opened the bottle and poured the blood onto a wine glass. Because of my pent up frustration, I had done more hunting than I needed this last month, so I stored some of the blood for later. It didn’t taste the same as the fresh, warm thing oozing out of a deer’s vein, but it gave me the same energy and strength.
Without warning, Thomas blinked into existence right in the middle of the kitchen. Lost in my thoughts, I wasn’t ready. My fangs elongated, and I bent my knees to attack.
“Whoa, whoa.” Thomas held up his hands. “It’s just me.”
I retreated my fangs and rolled out my shoulders. “Sorry. My head was somewhere else.”
“I know where it was,” Thomas said. “I don’t have news about that, but I have something else.”
My body tensed. “What is it?”
“I finally found Alex’s body,” he said. “It wasn’t in the castle’s rubble. The witches moved all the bodies to a mass grave in the forest behind the castle.”
“It took you two months to find it?” I snapped. He winced. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m not in a good place right now.”
“It’s okay,” he said, sounding disappointed. “I understand. I was frustrated, too. But I think the witches put some sort of spell around the castle that prevents ghosts from coming inside? I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I’m gonna be ripped into smoke and disintegrate whenever I go near the castle. That’s why it took me so long to find out the bodies had been moved. Then, I had to find out where they had been buried.”
The Immortal Vow Page 8
