Avenge (Malice Book 2)

by Amity Hope

  “Aw,” he said as he looked up at me. “This kind of puts a damper on our fun.”

  I gently slapped his shoulder. “Maybe next time.”

  He smiled, mirroring the same dopey smile that Tristan had worn not half an hour ago.

  Hooray for Finola and her potions.

  Lebeau eyed him warily. She’d clearly been expecting him to put up a fight.

  Jude grinned at her. “Where we headed?”

  She scowled as she turned to face Riley and me. “I think it’s highly unlikely that the two of you traveled this far on your own. Where are the rest of your friends?”

  “Yeah, where are all of our friends?” Jude asked. He looked dazedly around Charlie’s. I tried not to cringe. I was afraid he’d mention Tristan. “Do we have friends?” he asked in puzzlement.

  “Were there people here with you?” she asked him.

  “Yes,” he said solemnly. He pointed at the patrons that had been in here prior to our arrival. “There’s some right there.”

  She did not look amused. She turned to me.

  I shrugged. “We split up. I would guess they are keeping an eye on Juniper Lane.”

  She stared at me in stony silence for a moment, her head tilted to the side, as if mentally weighing her options.

  “I thought we were leaving?” Jude sounded disappointed to still be standing here.

  “I’ll deal with you and your friends later,” Lebeau assured me.

  I fought the urge to argue that we’d done nothing wrong.

  She eyed up Mr. Julene, as if she were sure his compliance was nothing but a farce. “This is your final warning,” she grated out. “Trying to escape will end very badly for you.”

  He gave her an awkward salute due to his hands being bound.

  She tugged on the cuffs around his wrists. He fell into step with her as she led him out of Charlie’s.

  The door clanked shut behind them.

  I turned to Riley as she grabbed onto my arm.

  “Now what?”

  I looked out the windows again.

  Lebeau was guiding her detainee across the parking lot. They were flanked by three men even though the prisoner showed no sign of resistance. When they reached a navy blue sedan Lebeau stopped. She spoke with one of the men in her mini-entourage. He glanced back at Charlie’s.

  I grabbed Riley’s hand and tugged her across the bar.

  “Hey!” The bartender shouted when he realized we were hurrying toward the emergency exit.

  I followed Alex’s lead and ignored him.

  “Damn kids!” he grumbled.

  Riley and I slipped outside. The door led to the side of the building. It spilled onto a side yard skirted by trees. Charlie’s was on the edge of town, opposite of where our motel was. I wasn’t going to worry about that for now.

  I didn’t see any of Lebeau’s men but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be looking for us.

  Riley tugged at me. “We should run before they see us.”

  “No, let them,” I whispered. “Let them think we’ll lead them to the others.”

  We took off at a brisk walk. Fast enough to look as though we were trying to make a sneaky getaway but slow enough that Lebeau’s minions would have no trouble keeping up.

  There was a gravel alley running along the backside of Charlie’s. We hurried down it, and then bustled down a crossing street. We wove our way along alleys and avenues.

  “We’re definitely being followed,” Riley whispered as we pushed deeper into the city.

  “I know,” I whispered back. They were keeping a respectable distance, leading me to believe I was right. They wanted us to lead them to our friends.

  We rounded a building and I grabbed her hand, tugging her into another alley. We ran until we came across an alcove. I pulled her inside and quickly checked out the alley in either direction. No one in sight.

  Yet.

  I closed my eyes and pulled my magic to me with all the force that I had.

  Riley was astute enough to not question me. I pulled the vision of a dumpster into my mind. I carefully spilled it out, onto the alley in front of us. It blocked us from view. Riley’s fingers dug into my arm as I pressed myself backward against her. I was unsure of whether or not they’d be able to sense my magic, or any flaws in it. I’d gotten fairly adept at conjuring. I’d just never had a reason to practice conjuring a dumpster before.

  The sun was setting and it left the alley gloomy. Unless they took time to study the dumpster I thought it would pass. It should block us from their view. I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

  Moments later two men rushed by. They were cussing and arguing as they went. We listened as their footsteps slid from gravel and smacked against concrete. Once they were on the sidewalk, checking out another cross street, Riley and I backtracked.

  We crisscrossed several blocks keeping a watchful eye out.

  “I think we lost them,” she finally said.

  I agreed as I gazed around. I’d lost track of where we were.

  “It’s dark. And we’re lost,” she lamented.

  “Not for long,” I assured her. I stepped into another alcove, this one leading into an out of business café. I closed my eyes and envisioned the stack of maps I’d seen in a rack behind the motel desk. Moments later I’d managed to manifest one.

  I beamed at it. It was just a small object, but I’d never managed to manifest something from so far away before.

  “You’re getting really good at manifesting and conjuring,” Riley said. Her surprise was evident. I couldn’t blame her. I was surprised as well.

  “It’s about time I can be useful,” I muttered.

  ~*~*~

  Less than five minutes later we were tucked into a booth at an ice-cream parlor. We both had chocolate mint malts sitting in front of us. I couldn’t speak for Riley, but I, for one, could not care less about the ice-cream. The malts simply gave us a reason to take up space in a booth. I chose one that faced the windows overlooking the sidewalk.

  “Should I try texting Caleb now?” Riley asked.

  I nodded. I took a bite of my malt because I was fidgety and I had to do something. I’d checked out the map. We were at least seven miles from the motel. Too far to walk and we hadn’t seen a single taxi.

  Her fingers flew across the screen. “I texted Daphne, too.” She placed her phone on the table and reached for her ice-cream.

  I drummed my fingers nervously against the countertop. I continuously scanned the street. It wasn’t that I thought Lebeau’s men would cause us any harm. I simply wanted to get back to Tristan as soon as possible. I knew a run in with them would likely mean detainment of some sort. I didn’t want to deal with that.

  “Do you think Jude will be okay?” Riley asked as she swirled her malt around.

  I nodded. “I really do. I think Lebeau will see to it that Mr. Julene’s spirit is stripped and that Jude’s is replaced. Jude’s parents have been pushing The Council. She’ll want to keep them happy so that they don’t cause a ruckus back in Granite Falls.”

  “I suppose,” Riley agreed. “It’s to her advantage to bring him back unharmed. It makes it look like she’s doing her job.”

  “It’s Tristan I’m worried about. I think if she had her way…” I didn’t want to finish that sentence. I didn’t think she had any intention of restoring Tristan. I had no facts to substantiate that. It was just a gut feeling. A hunch.

  “But you don’t have to worry about that. He’s with Alex and Finola. He’s in good hands.”

  I nodded. “Right.” There was also the not-so-small matter of his lineage to contend with. I wanted to talk to Riley about it but I didn’t dare. Even if Tristan was in good hands now, I was afraid of what the future would bring.

  Lebeau knew who he was. She clearly had it out for him.

  “Sam,” Riley said softly, “don’t worry. The worst is hopefully behind us. I think that we’re going to be okay.”

  “You’re right
. As long as Tristan is safe, nothing else matters. It will all fall into place.” I glanced at her phone, willing for it to do something.

  “How long do you think it’s been? Since they left with Tristan, I mean?” she asked.

  “I wasn’t really paying attention but I think it’s been at least an hour. It’s probably been at least thirty minutes since we ditched Lebeau.”

  “That’s what I was thinking.” She began to methodically eat her malt.

  When her phone buzzed across the table, it startled us both. She plucked it up to look at the screen. “It’s Daphne.” She handed it to me.

  “Daphne?”

  “Where are you?” she demanded.

  “We’re in a little ice-cream shop in the center of town. Lebeau has Jude, which might actually be a good thing. But she had some local Council members with her. A few of them were following us but we managed to ditch them. Where are you? Where’s Tristan? Is everything okay?”

  “It’s fine. We’re all fine. We’re all back at the motel.”

  “And Tristan?”

  “He’s good Samara. Alex worked his magic…and he’s good. A little groggy—Alex said that’s to be expected—but he’s going to be okay.”

  I slumped down in my seat as the tension left my body.

  “Sam, I’m sorry I deviated from the plan back at Charlie’s. It was impulsive. At the last minute I panicked. I started to worry that flirting wouldn’t work. I mean, we knew nothing about the Julene’s. They could’ve blown us off and then we would’ve been stuck without a back-up plan. But I thought that if I acted like I knew him and that we had a history, that he’d have to act chummy if he didn’t want to raise suspicion.”

  “It’s fine. It was a good move,” I assured her.

  She lowered her voice, as if she didn’t want anyone in the motel to overhear her. “And I’m sorry about kissing Tristan. It happened so fast! I had no idea he was going to do that. I thought I’d just make a mess of things if I didn’t just go with it.”

  “Daphne, you didn’t kiss Tristan. You kissed an elderly Striga. An elderly Striga in pleather. No need to apologize,” I said.

  She groaned. “Gross. I’d rather kiss Tristan.”

  “Back to the important issue,” I said as I redirected the conversation. “We’ve already paid for the hotel rooms but I think it would be best if we get back to Granite Falls tonight. Lebeau knows we’re in town. If Jude talks, she’ll know Tristan is with us. She won’t be happy. Worse, I think she’ll be looking for us, if she doesn’t know about the hotel room already.” I pulled in a breath. “Is there any chance you were followed?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Caleb was keeping an eye on the parking lot. Shortly after I got Tristan in the van, the first suspicious vehicle pulled up. A few minutes later another one pulled in. He sent a text to warn Alex to be ready to run. Then Lebeau pulled up…and you know the rest. Luckily they weren’t looking for Alex or Fin. They walked right past Lebeau’s men and no one even glanced at them. Just to be safe Caleb took the long way back to the motel. Both he and Alex watched for suspicious traffic.” She hesitated before saying, “I think if we were followed, someone would be pounding on our door by now.”

  “Good. That’s one less thing to worry about.”

  “I’m so sorry we ditched you back there.”

  “I’m glad you did. Getting Tristan out of there was more important. If we go back tonight do you think Tristan is up for it? Traveling by portal, I mean?”

  “I don’t know. He’ll have to be, won’t he?”

  “Yes, I think it’s best.”

  “Where are you two? We’ll load up the van and be on our way,” she said.

  “We’re not too hard to find. I checked out a map. Crescent City Park is just a few blocks away. It’s on the corner of Maple Street and Seventh Avenue. There should be more maps behind the front desk at the motel if you need to check it out,” I said.

  “Give us half an hour to load everything up and we’ll be there.”

  I placed the phone on the table. My hands were shaking. I was going to see Tristan soon. Half an hour wasn’t really that long, but in that moment, it felt like an eternity.

  Chapter 15

  Twenty-five minutes later Riley and I slowly walked along the sidewalk at the edge of the park. The playground was empty. A few people were milling about, couples mostly. The sun had set. The temperature had dropped. Or maybe there was another reason that my skin was covered in chill bumps. Shivers cascaded down my spine. I didn’t like being out in the open like this. Maybe I should’ve made other arrangements.

  Riley clutched at my arm. Her tone was giddy. “We did it, Sam! Tristan is okay and Jude will be! I can’t believe we pulled it off! It didn’t go exactly as we planned but it still all worked out. That’s what is really important.”

  “I know. I just wish I could’ve been there when Tristan woke up.” I was being selfish, but I had wanted my face to be the first thing he saw. I shook the feeling away. Riley was right. It didn’t matter how we accomplished it, what mattered was that we did accomplish it.

  “Here they come,” Riley said as she gave me a nudge.

  A huge white van lumbered down the street. We moved a bit closer to the edge of the road. The van slowed and my heart lurched. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. Daphne gave me a finger wave from the passenger seat as the van clunked to a stop.

  Riley and I hurried to the back side of the van. Alex tossed the doors open. The soft amber glow of the dome light spilled into the back of the van.

  “Hop in!” Alex said as he scooted out of the way.

  Riley stood back, allowing me to climb into the van first. I did so quickly with Riley just a second behind me.

  “Thanks for coming to get us!” Riley called.

  There was a murmuring of chatter but I didn’t hear a word of it. I stood there dazedly, feeling awkward, as if all eyes were on me.

  The back of the van had two bench seats, one along each side. Alex dropped down next to Fin on one, Tristan sat alone on the other.

  Though the lighting was dim I was able to make him out easily enough. My heart slammed around in my chest. I realized then that I had expected him to look different somehow. At the very least I’d expected him to look weak and worn. Aside from dark smudges under his eyes, he looked…perfect.

  I wanted to throw myself at him. I wanted to kiss him as if my life depended on it…as if the very fate of the world depended on it. I couldn’t because though I’d been in love with him nearly forever, our relationship was new. I was fairly certain my feelings for him were far more intense than his feelings for me.

  My mind was a hurricane of emotions, thoughts, feelings. I didn’t dare let any of them trickle out. Instead I threw up a mental dam until I knew where I stood.

  “Hi,” I breathed out the word. My gaze was locked on Tristan’s face.

  “Hey, Sammy Jo.” He smiled at me. It was a shy, familiar smile. It was nothing like the cocky grin that had been flashed at me at Charlie’s.

  “Let’s move!” Caleb called.

  Riley swung the back door shut. The dim glow faded to black. We were left in near darkness. Only seconds had passed since I’d first stepped into the van but it felt much longer than that.

  The van lurched forward as it lumbered away. I would’ve stumbled but hands reached out, grabbing me around the waist. I was tugged forward toward Tristan. I landed on the seat next to him. My body softly collided with his comforting form. Riley must’ve squeezed in next to Finola.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?” Tristan asked. His voice was low, next to my ear.

  His arm had slid around my waist when I tumbled into the seat. I let out a half sob and threw both of my arms around his neck. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how scared I’d been that something would go wrong. I hadn’t been able to believe that he was really okay until I’d seen him with my own eyes. The entire day’s events felt so surreal I could barely wrap my head around
the fact that this was reality.

  He squeezed me back.

  The tacky pleather ruined the moment with another squeak.

  “I don’t know what in the hell I’m wearing,” he grumbled. But he didn’t let me go.

  I half laughed, half cried. “I don’t care what you’re wearing. I’m just so happy to see you!” I pulled in a breath. My eyes burned with unshed tears. My hands were clasped behind his neck to keep from shaking. My whole body vibrated with excitement and relief. “I can’t believe it’s really you!”

  “It’s me,” he assured me.

  My grip on him finally loosened. I let my arms slide away. I didn’t go far. He kept an arm around my shoulders. I nestled into his side, squeaky pleather be damned.

  “You’re okay?” I asked.

  “I feel a little dazed. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired in my life. I feel worse than I did the night we stayed in the cottage,” he admitted. He’d used an astronomical amount of magic that night, and then he’d gone without sleep so that he could keep watch.

  “Do you know what happened to you?” My voice quaked as my tears became dangerously close to shaking free.

  “The last thing I remember is bursting into the mausoleum and sending you out of there. After that, things are hazy. Even waking up in the motel. That’s hazy too. Alex explained what happened. I just…I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it,” he admitted. “I knew that by going after Levi it was a possibility. But I don’t remember any of it.”

  “Of course not. That’s because it wasn’t you,” I said softly.

  “I told him it might be a week or two before he really feels like himself again.” Alex’s voice floated to us from the other side of the gloomy van.

  “How are you feeling now?” I asked.

  “Fine,” he assured.

  I moved a little closer to him. My hand had been resting on his chest but I looped it around him, pulling him even closer. I could tell by his weary tone that he wasn’t being honest.

  “Don’t sugar-coat it. How are you really?”