Betrayed (Keeper of the Flame Book 3)

by Lila Kane

  I’m the one he needs. But alone, even with James, I’m not powerful enough.

  “The full moon,” Kane snaps at me and James. “That’ll give you more power?”

  James nods.

  “What else?” he asks. “Because we need to keep this circle strong.”

  “Amethyst,” I say and give him a minute to glare at me before I explain. “Farther outside the circle, to form a perimeter. Far enough away our vampires and you can stand it.”

  “Silver for the werewolves,” James adds. “We can boost protection with those things and then draw power from the moon for the spell. It wouldn’t hurt to have some extra crystals and‒”

  “Fine,” Kane snaps. “Get what you need. Do it today so we can practice again. If it doesn’t work, Willow, we’re talking to your mom. You will figure out some way to wake her up.”

  “Company,” Wes says, looking at the sky.

  We all follow his gaze. There’s a hawk circling above, the same one I keep seeing everywhere. At least, I’m assuming it’s the same one because I’m pretty sure it’s not a hawk at all. It’s Ryan. He’s keeping an eye on things.

  Kane flashes a smile at me. “Looks like I have something to deal with.”

  I open my mouth, but I can’t say anything. He promised he wouldn’t hurt my friends. He promised and I believed him. But if I remind him of that now, he’ll know I remember something I’m not supposed to.

  “We’re going to need to go into town for supplies,” I say, standing. Trying to be nonchalant.

  Kane waves a hand like it doesn’t matter. “Take care of what you need to take care of and I’ll do what I need to do.”

  I glance to the hawk again, but it’s flying away. What’s Kane going to do? I need to warn Ryan and the others. I need…

  …to be with Logan.

  But it’s impossible.

  Kane strolls away with Wes as I brush off my pants. My head still swims and my stomach is iffy.

  “Willow?”

  I give James a wobbly smile. “We need to get into town. I have to talk to Ryan or Myra‒or someone. I don’t have a good feeling.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Sure. Fine.”

  “Willow‒”

  “No time, James. Let’s go.”

  We use his car to drive into town. I watch for the hawk most of the way, and then start looking for Kane or Wes or anyone else from our group. My fingers tap nervously on the armrest.

  “Everything will be fine,” James assures me.

  “We’re living in a town filled with vampires and werewolves and shapeshifters‒half of which don’t get along. Everything is not going to be fine. And I don’t know what the hell we’re supposed to do about the spell. The library‒stop there.”

  Fatigue circuits through my body but I force myself to push open the door and step out. I force myself to put one foot in front of the other, to be casual as I walk into the library. James follows, keeping vigilant.

  Cheyenne’s sitting at the desk inside, wearing her glasses and reading a thick book that looks old. When she sees me, she stands. She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

  “Hi,” I say.

  “Willow. Oh my God.” The spell is broken and she hurries to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.

  “Cheyenne,” I say, surprised.

  “You’re here. I have to call Logan.”

  Before I can say anything, she pulls out her phone. Then her eyes narrow. Calmly keeping her phone to her ear, she says, “Who is that?”

  I glance behind me and see James has come in.

  “Another witch,” Cheyenne answers for me.

  “He’s on our side.”

  James offers a friendly smile. Cheyenne doesn’t look convinced.

  “She’s here,” she says into the phone, and then hangs up. “What’s another witch doing here with you? And what’s wrong? You look sick‒”

  “I’m not sick. I’m…” Dizzy. The room swirls around me. I’m either going to throw up or pass out.

  James grabs my waist, but another voice stops him from doing anything else.

  “Get the hell away from her,” Logan says.

  He enters the library in a blur, pushing James aside and reaching for me. His arms come around me and he pulls me to a chair, sitting me down and peering into my face. “What’s wrong?”

  “She used too much energy,” James says. “I can help her.”

  “Don’t move another step or I swear I’ll rip your arms off.”

  I choke out a shocked laugh, even as the edges of my vision cloud with a dark haze. “Logan, stop. He’s helping. He wants to help us.” I swallow hard as my stomach twists. “I can’t…”

  “Okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  Logan cradles my head against him as I pass out.

  I wake to the smell of cookies or something warm baking in the oven. Logan is peering anxiously down at me and James gives an encouraging nod.

  “It worked.” Logan bows his head, touching his forehead to mine. Tension still rolls off him in waves.

  “This doesn’t look like the library,” I mumble.

  “It’s my store,” Myra says, leaning over me. “Please don’t tell me you forgot that, too.”

  I give her a wry smile and try to sit up. Logan helps me and I scoot back on a wooden bench. “Temporarily forgot. I remember now.”

  “Everything?” Myra asks.

  I nod.

  “Good.” She offers one of her dazzling smiles. “Because I have so much to show you. And so much to tell you. You should‒”

  “Myra,” Logan says, shaking his head. “Not now.” His eyes come back to mine. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He doesn’t look like he believes me. “Really. James, you did something, didn’t you?”

  Cheyenne and Ryan lean against the counter on the other side of the room. “Once Logan would let him,” Cheyenne says. She studies James a moment before distracting herself with a muffin. “Doesn’t hurt to have another witch on our side.”

  I stand and gesture to the door. “We need to go. We’re supposed to be working on the spell.”

  James nods at the same time Logan shakes his head.

  “You can’t keep doing this, Willow. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “What the hell is Kane having you do there all day? You come to the library barely able to stand and now you’re telling me you have to do a spell?”

  “Okay, listen. Kane wants us to do what we can to reverse the spell. It won’t be permanent—we need my mom for that. But James and I have told him that once the moon is full, we can do a temporary version.”

  Cheyenne steps away from the counter. “You can’t do the spell, Willow. We already know what Kane is capable of‒”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Myra interrupts, but she turns and busies herself with arranging a few tables.

  “What? Myra?” She doesn’t turn around so I look straight at Ryan, knowing somehow that he has the answer. “What happened?”

  “He was here,” Ryan says. “He came right into her store and threatened her. Told her he could have you or James, ‘one of his witches’ as he put it, make her sick again if she didn’t stay out of his plans. And keep all of us away, too. That’s not all that’s happened either‒”

  “Who cares?” Myra snaps. “The bottom line is, Kane’s not a good guy. We all know this. So he threatened me a little. It’s not‒”

  “Hey.” Ryan walks straight to her, gripping her upper arms. “I care, okay? I care if he comes in here and I care what he does to you.”

  My mouth opens in surprise at the compassion I see in his eyes. I glance at Cheyenne, who’s watching them also, and then Logan, who bows his head.

  He knows. He knows Ryan imprinted on Myra. And Myra’s got to know something, too. So much has gone down since I’ve been gone.

  “I’m just saying,” Myra whispers. “She’s got
to stop him.”

  “I agree,” James says. “We’ve got to stop this or it’s going to get worse.”

  “Stay out of this,” Logan growls, gripping James’s jacket. “You’re working with him. I saw you there that night he came for Willow.”

  “I was, but I don’t want to help him anymore.”

  “Logan.” I grab his arm, trying to pull him away. “Stop. James has been helping me. He told me the truth about you‒about a lot of things. Logan, let go.”

  He releases James’s jacket, but shakes his head at me. “If you reverse the spell, then what? What about Myra?”

  Ryan looks at me. “How can you be sure it won’t make her sick again?”

  “I…I can’t. But‒”

  “But you have to do it,” Myra says. She ignores Ryan’s look, ignores Logan’s attempted protest, and simply meets my gaze. “You and I know it. It’s what needs to be done. Don’t you dare argue with me, Ryan. Willow understands.”

  I blow out a breath, trying to feel calm even though my heart is racing. “You’re right.”

  She holds up her chin, giving me an encouraging nod, but it doesn’t help that neither Ryan nor Logan will look at me before I go.

  Chapter 23

  My heart still hurts when James and I return to the house later that afternoon. I step out of the car, torn.

  “You have to do it,” James says, walking around the car to join me on my side. “Kane has a whole house full of people we don’t want to see given free reign in this town. Do you know what a dozen vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters would do if they had full power?”

  “Kill each other?”

  James smiles, but there’s little humor in it. “That’s best case scenario.”

  I sigh. “But Myra.”

  “What’s the story there?”

  “She had cancer. Coming here helped because she became more vampire, less human, and was able to heal herself some. She was stronger. But it didn’t take the cancer away completely.”

  James meets my eyes, amazement in the depths. “You healed her?”

  I nod. “With fire.”

  “Willow, this is‒does Kane know?”

  “He has to, right? I mean, he knew Myra was sick and he knows I did something to help her.”

  “Maybe he just thinks it was a spell or something.”

  “I don’t know. Either way, Logan and Ryan are worried that ending the spell will take away what’s been done since I came here.”

  “And give her cancer back?” James frowns, folding his arms and leaning against the car. “That doesn’t seem likely. You healed her, Willow. That’s completely separate from the spell.”

  “But if it takes away their powers, it might take this away, too‒especially since being here was what helped her in the first place.”

  He opens his mouth to say something else when we hear shouting inside the house. “What the hell?”

  We rush inside and find most of the group standing in the foyer, arguing.

  “You can’t do that!” someone shouts.

  “Rules are rules,” someone else says.

  “Come on, Kane,” a man says. “It’s not a big deal.”

  Kane leans against the entryway to the kitchen, his face so calm, it makes me nervous. “Not a big deal?” he asks. “I said no one was allowed near my sister but me. I promised you all the world, and only asked for a few things in return. One was to stay away from the other group unless they posed a threat. And no one‒no one‒is allowed near my sister.” He angles his head to the back of the house. “Let’s discuss this outside.”

  Kane turns on his heel, disappearing into the kitchen.

  “Dude, Mark,” someone says to the man. “You’re screwed.”

  “I didn’t do anything. He can’t just boss us around all the time.”

  No one responds to that. Kane already has bossed them around. He’s made it clear who’s in charge. They have a lot to lose if they’re not with him, but a lot to gain if they stick with him.

  “You’d better get out there,” someone else tells Mark.

  He sneers, reminding me of a wolf, and heading for the kitchen. In fact, I think he is part werewolf. And now he’s made a vampire angry.

  “What did he do to Myra?” I ask, suddenly worried for her. She didn’t say anything about anyone but Kane.

  James shrugs and everyone is too busy following Mark to pay attention to me. More nervous than curious, I join the rest of the group. Most are pressed against the glass windows of the kitchen.

  Wes walks to the door and opens it, standing in the entryway and watching as Mark joins Kane in the gardens.

  I swallow hard and stand by Wes. “What’s he going to do?”

  Wes doesn’t look at me when he says, “Make it clear who’s in charge.”

  I glance at James, suddenly scared for Mark. Scared for someone I don’t even know, because Logan and Myra both told me how dangerous Kane is.

  Without superhuman hearing like the rest of the group, I can only watch as Mark pleads his case to Kane. First he looks angry, then sorry. And when he drops to his knees and murmurs something I can’t make out over and over again, I know he’s apologizing. And he’s scared.

  Kane reaches out with his left hand, almost like he’s going to pat Mark on the head. To forgive him. Then he grips Marks hair, yanks his head back, and jabs something sharp into the side of Mark’s neck.

  I gasp. My gaze fixes on the blood spurting from Mark’s neck, his body sagging to the ground. Kane makes a face at the body lying on the ground and wipes his hands together before stepping over Mark and walking our way.

  My knees are weak and I stumble back, running into Wes. He grips my arm to steady me.

  “Silver,” he says. “At least it was quick.”

  My stomach churns, and if I’d had anything for lunch, I’d probably lose it right now. I back up even farther when Kane enters the house and walks to the sink to wash his hands. Everyone just stares at him, either too scared or too in awe to say anything.

  When Kane turns around and sees everyone still there, he dabs his hands on a towel and leans against the counter. “You know the rules,” he says with deadly calm. “Break the rules and you can join Mark.”

  My hands clench so tight at my sides, my nails dig into my flesh. He killed Mark. He killed a man. I don’t know what Mark did to Myra, but death?

  When Kane looks at me, my stomach drops.

  “I hope you got what you needed in town today. You need to be on your game‒especially with one less person for our circle.” He pauses, then inclines his head. “Come with me.”

  He walks from the kitchen before I can respond, his footsteps echoing in the hallway. Everyone stares at me. Maybe they’re thinking Kane’s going to hurt me, too. But I know he won’t. He needs me.

  “I can’t…” I shake my head, staring at James. I can’t believe I just saw what I saw. I’m scared of what Kane’s going to do.

  “You’d better get out there, witch,” Wes says.

  James meets my eyes. “It’ll be okay. It’s fine.”

  He nods. He knows it, too. Kane needs me. He can’t hurt me.

  I hold my head high and walk to the hall. When I don’t see Kane at first, I walk farther, until I see the door to the basement open wide. There’s a light on inside.

  “Down here,” Kane says.

  My stomach flutters with nerves. I’ve only been in the basement a few times. Once was to save my mother when Logan kidnapped her. There’s a room downstairs with a bolt on it. A cell.

  Slowly, I descend the stairs, my mind racing with fear. Maybe Kane knows I saw Cheyenne and the rest of the group today. Maybe he has something to show me. Maybe he’s just angry in general and needs someone to vent to.

  I reach the end of the stairs. The door to the locked room is open. Kane is standing in the doorway, arms folded.

  “You went to town today,” he says.

  I swallow. “I had to get supplies.”

  “And
see the werewolf and the shapeshifter?”

  “I didn’t‒it was an accident. I used too much energy with the circle earlier and I passed out. They helped me. I left right after I woke up.”

  There. That sounded reasonable, didn’t it? I can’t read anything from his expression. My heart is beating too fast for him not to notice, however.

  “And you saw my brother.”

  “Logan?” I ask, acting clueless.

  “Don’t try to play coy, Willow. Don’t you know I’m having you followed?”

  “Yeah, well‒sure,” I say, nodding. “For my safety. So no one tries to hurt me.”

  His eyes narrow. After a long moment, a smile curves his lips. “I don’t believe you. In fact, I don’t even think influencing you is going to help at this point. You’re a strong witch, Willow.”

  My heart stops. Does he know? Does he think I remember everything he’s tried to erase?

  “Inside,” he snaps.

  “What?”

  He steps aside, leaving the door to the room wide open. “Get inside. Until the full moon, I think you’ll be safer in here. No one in and no one out.”

  “But the spell,” I argue. “We need to practice. And the circle‒”

  “Nice try. I’m supremely convinced I’ll find something to motivate you to do the spell correctly when the time comes. Get in.”

  My body tenses.

  “Don’t even think about trying to run.” Kane smiles. “I’m faster than you. And stronger. In.”

  My breath shuddering in my chest, I walk into the room and turn to face him. “You don’t need to do this. I’m trying to help you.”

  “And you will,” he answers. “I’ll have Wes bring you dinner later.”

  With that, he shuts the door and bolts it.

  I’m trapped. I’m stuck in the basement, and now I can’t go into town. I can’t warn Myra and Ryan and the rest of the group. But…

  I can still reach them through projection. At least Kane didn’t find out about that.

  I wait for Wes to bring me dinner and try to eat something since I’ve hardly eaten anything all day. I spend most of the evening pacing, replaying Mark’s death over and over in my mind. And then realizing that I might be sentencing Myra to death, too, if I do this spell. There’s no right choice here.