“She told me.” Thomas didn’t look moved in the slightest. “But this truth potion is stronger than the one Flint gave you. It was brewed by one of the witches of the Haven. Taking it shouldn’t be a problem… unless there’s something you’re trying to hide?”
I looked over at Noah and nodded. As long as he was being honest with us all—which I believed he was—there was no reason for him not to drink the potion.
“I’m not hiding anything.” Noah held his hand out, and Thomas passed the truth potion over to him.
“Fantastic.” Thomas eyed Noah up, as if he expected Noah to try breaking out of the room at any second. “Well, then. Cheers.”
“Cheers.” Noah opened the cap, held the vial up in a toast, and then downed the light blue liquid all in one gulp.
23
Sage
The four of us situated ourselves on the couch—Noah and Raven sat close together, and I made sure to put as much distance between Thomas and myself as I could.
Just like I knew he would, Noah told Thomas the same story of his past as the First Prophet of the Vale that he’d told me. I understood why Thomas was being cautious by making Noah tell his story under truth potion again, and I was also relieved to learn that my trust in Noah hadn’t been misplaced.
“Anything else you want to know?” Noah asked Thomas once he finished.
“No,” Thomas said, a satisfied smile on his face. “I think we’re good here.”
“Great.” I wished more than anything that I could reduce the tension between the two guys. So I turned to Thomas and asked, “What’s this important information you have for us?”
I hoped it was information about whoever had sent the coyotes after us on our way to New Orleans. They hadn’t tried attacking again, but I knew better than to think that meant we were safe.
“It’s about your brother.” Thomas faced me, watching me with what looked like pity. “You’re not going to like it.”
“What sort of trouble has Flint gotten himself into this time?” I sighed and rolled my eyes. I hadn’t expected this to be about Flint, but I wasn’t surprised. Flint was the alpha of one of the most powerful shifter packs in the country. You didn’t get to his level by being the nice guy all the time.
You got there by making people respect and fear you. And Flint could be a pretty scary guy.
He’d also do anything to protect our pack. So I trusted that no matter what Thomas was about to say, Flint would have his reasons for doing it.
But something about the way Thomas was looking at me made me brace myself for the worst.
“Before the three of you showed up at my doorstep, Flint called me,” Thomas started. “He told me you’d be arriving soon.”
“He couldn’t have.” I scrunched my eyebrows together, confused. “I never told him we were coming here. He hasn’t known where we’ve been since New Orleans.”
“Nonetheless, he knew you were coming,” he continued. “He told me you were with the First Prophet, and that the First Prophet had brainwashed you.”
“I don’t understand.” I looked back and forth between Noah and Thomas, feeling like I was in a daze. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Not according to Flint,” Thomas said, and he proceeded to tell us about the entire phone conversation he’d had with my brother.
Flint had asked Thomas to bring me back to LA. He’d said he was working on an alliance and that he needed me there to cement it.
Flint had said Noah had lied about his quest to kill the demons. That he’d stolen the assignment from someone else.
“That’s why you wanted Noah to take truth potion and confirm his story,” I realized. “You were checking to see if Flint was lying or not.”
“Precisely,” Thomas said. “Especially since Flint asked me to kill Noah and Raven.”
I sat forward, instantly on guard. “What?” I widened my eyes, not willing to believe it.
“Obviously, I have no intention of harming either of them.” Thomas motioned in Noah and Raven’s direction, as if proving they were unharmed. “Although if Noah’s story hadn’t checked out, the situation would have been different, of course. So it’s a good thing wolf boy here was telling the truth.”
“Flint wouldn’t…” I trailed off, shaking my head in disbelief.
“He would,” Thomas said. “And he did. As you know, I record all of my conversations. You’re free to listen if you need proof.”
“Please.” I wouldn’t believe it—at least not until I heard it myself. Even then, Thomas could always fake it. But I knew my brother.
If it was really my brother speaking on that phone call, I’d know.
“I figured as much.” Thomas removed the latest iPhone from his pocket, and the conversation between him and Flint started to play.
I sat there in horror as I listened. It went exactly how Thomas had claimed.
Once it ended, the four of us sat there in silence.
“Flint knew about the coyotes.” Raven, surprisingly enough, was the one to break the silence. “Was he the one who sent them after us?”
“It would explain why the coyotes wanted to take Sage somewhere with them,” Noah said. “And why they wanted us dead. If they’d gotten away with it, they were probably going to bring Sage back to LA. Just like Flint asked Thomas to do.”
My head buzzed, all of the information spinning so much that it felt like my brain was about to implode. I heard the others talking around me, but I couldn’t focus on what they were saying.
Why would my brother do this? What kind of alliance was he making? Why hadn’t he just told me about it?
If he’d talked to me, I would have listened. I probably would have gone back to LA on my own. I wouldn’t have liked abandoning Noah on his hunt—and I would have returned to helping him once the alliance was solidified—but pack came first. Always.
From the easy way they accepted this, Thomas, Noah, and Raven apparently had no problems villainizing my brother. But I couldn’t just sit here and listen to this. I needed to call Flint and set things right with him myself.
I took my phone out of my bag, pressed the button to call him, and held the phone to my ear.
It didn’t ring. Instead, it beeped three times and the call ended automatically.
I took a look at the screen—no service.
“Not getting through?” Thomas smirked and eyed up my phone.
“You’re blocking my service,” I realized. “Lift it and let me call him. I have a right to talk to my brother.”
“How’s that possible?” Raven looked back and forth between Thomas and me in confusion, finally settling her gaze on Thomas. “How can you block Sage’s cell service?”
24
Raven
“What do you know about gifted vampires?” Thomas answered my question with one of his own.
Vampires had been one of the first topics covered in my long car rides with Sage and Noah, so I sat proudly, glad that I knew what he was talking about. “When some vampires are turned, human attributes of theirs can be strengthened,” I said. “For instance, as a human, Rosella was able to see the future. That ability was heightened when she was turned. It’s why she’s a seer as a vampire.”
“Who told you that?” he asked.
“Noah and Sage,” I said.
“They were close, but not exactly right,” he said. “I lived in the Haven for a while after being turned, so I’m friends with Rosella. As a human, she was talented at listening to people, observing them, and using that information to determine what choices they might make. She had the gift of intuition. Once she was turned into a vampire, that ability heightened, allowing her to actually see the future.”
“All right.” I nodded, glad I’d seen Rosella’s gift in action with my own eyes. Otherwise, I might not have believed him. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you’re bringing this up because you also have a gift?”
“Yes,” he said. “As a human, I had a knack for tech
nology. With a bit of fiddling, I could quickly determine how any gadget worked and fix anything that was broken. As a vampire…” He paused, giving me a close-lipped smile. “Well, it’s probably best to simply show you.”
Suddenly, all of the cell phones in the room started buzzing and lighting up. It was like they’d taken on lives of their own. The lights started flickering—like in those creepy horror movies. And it wasn’t just the phones. The television turned on and began flipping through the channels. The lights overhead went crazy as well.
Thomas looked completely in his element as the eerie, flickering lights bounced off his skin. I watched him, shocked. Then, all at once, everything returned to normal.
“You did that,” I stated, knowing it was true.
“I can communicate with and control technology.” He was so casual about it—as if what he was saying was normal. “I’m what’s known as a technopath.”
“That’s why your remote control doesn’t have a power button.” I glanced at where the strange, blank remote sat. “You didn’t need to use it at all.”
“It’s a prop—I only held it to keep you focused and not asking more questions,” he said. “And earlier, you asked how I had recordings from Prince Jacen’s selection in the Vale. The answer is simple—I hacked in and created recordings for myself. I thought they might prove useful down the line.” He smiled, clearly proud of himself for being right.
This guy would be a nightmare to security systems everywhere. No wonder he kept referring to his penthouse as a fortress. I had a feeling that I’d only seen a sliver of all the advanced technology he had here. He’d likely used his ability to acquire his wealth, too.
“That’s… amazing,” I finally said, not wanting him to see how his power was making me feel slightly uncomfortable. “It’s a good thing we have you on our side, isn’t it?”
“It is.” He nodded. “I can be a pretty terrifying enemy. None of the vampire kingdoms want any trouble with the Bettencourt coven. Most vampires in America have to go rogue to avoid detection by the kingdoms, but not us. As long as we don’t make the humans suspicious about what we are, the kingdoms let us be.”
“How do you get enough blood for yourself and your coven without drawing attention to yourselves?” It was something I’d been wondering since I woke up here and learned that the Bettencourt coven was smack in the middle of one of the biggest cities in America.
“There are microscopic security cameras in every hotel room—”
“Isn’t that against the law?” I interrupted.
“Against human law.” He chuckled. “I have ways around that. But did you want the answer to your question or not?”
“Sorry,” I said. “Go on.”
“We prefer to target humans who are traveling alone—it’s easier that way,” he said. “But most importantly, we always make sure they’re strong and healthy. Because once they’re asleep, we go into their room and draw their blood. We take the same amount as is safe to give for a blood donation. The blood is stored in our refrigerated vault. Once done, the human is given memory potion to forget what happened, and healing potion so there’s no trace of the needle mark. The next day, they’ll feel woozy, but they won’t know what happened. And we never take blood from a human more than once during their stay.”
“Wow.” I shook my head, unsure what to make of this. “Don’t any of them realize something’s off?” I was mainly thinking about the way I knew my memories of my Europe trip weren’t right. Surely some of the humans who’d gone through this process had experienced the same thing?
“There are a few rumors of hauntings in the hotel—those silly city ghost tours love stopping outside as part of their presentations—but the humans are clueless about what truly goes on here,” he said. “And I keep my vampires in line. Only those who have proven their ability to resist draining a bleeding human are allowed to perform the extractions. In all of the decades we’ve owned and lived in this hotel, we’ve only had one mistake.”
“You mean a death,” I said darkly.
“A death that was our fault,” he corrected me. “Occasionally, humans will die of natural causes while staying here—it happens in any hotel. In those cases, we go through the human system to report the death and take care of the body. But in regards to the human death that was our fault, that vampire was punished most severely. There have been no transgressions since. We keep our guests safe. I promise you that.”
“But you go into their hotel rooms while they’re sleeping and take their blood.” Goosebumps rose on my arms at the thought.
“And then they forget it ever happened and continue their lives as normal,” he said. “It’s far more humane than what happens in the kingdoms.”
“What happens in the kingdoms?” I leaned forward, not sure I wanted to hear the answer. Sage and Noah hadn’t given me the details there. All I knew was that other than the Haven, the vampires in the kingdoms fed on human blood.
“That’s a conversation for another day.” Thomas waved my question and zeroed in on Sage, who had a glazed look in her eyes. “Right now, we need to decide what to do about Flint.”
25
Sage
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to turn against my brother so easily.” I glared at Thomas and sat straighter. He’d shattered my heart, and now he wanted me to side with him over Flint? Over my pack?
“You heard what he said.” Thomas motioned to his phone.
The evidence looked bad, but I wouldn’t be swayed that easily. “You could have used your ability to manipulate that recording into something it wasn’t,” I said.
“Why would I do that?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “But I know you well enough to know you always have a motive. Even if I don’t know what that motive is yet.”
His eyes clouded with darkness—like my words had hurt him. “I’m trying to protect you,” he said.
“Then help us find out who really sent those coyotes after us.” My voice rose—I couldn’t believe he was still pushing this. “Because it wasn’t Flint. My brother wouldn’t do that.”
“I disagree, but I’m not the only one who’s met Flint before.” Thomas looked over at Noah. “You’ve been pretty quiet this whole time. What do you think about all this?”
Noah pressed his lips together and looked back and forth between Thomas and me, like he couldn’t choose between us.
What was taking him so long to reply? Flint had allowed Noah to live in our pool house when he would have otherwise been homeless. Noah should have stood up for Flint on the spot.
“These are serious allegations.” Noah pressed the pads of his fingers together, being careful about his wording, and looked at Thomas. “While I don’t know much about how your ability works, I trust Sage that you could have used it to alter—or create—the conversation you played for us.”
I breathed out in relief. Noah was standing up for me—for my pack. Thank God.
“The conversation you heard wasn’t altered,” Thomas said. “It was a recording of what actually happened.”
“Very well.” Noah leaned back in the couch, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Do you have more vials of the truth potion you had me take lying around here?”
“Yes.” Thomas didn’t flinch when he answered the question.
“Good,” Noah said. “Take it, and then tell us the recording hasn’t been altered in any way.”
“You can’t be serious.” I glared at Noah. “You actually think he might be telling the truth?”
“We have to consider the possibility,” Noah said. “Trust me—I don’t like the thought of Flint putting a bounty on my and Raven’s heads, and I hate that he could be plotting behind your back. But if that’s what’s going on, we need to know. We need to be prepared.” He turned back to Thomas. “So—what do you say? Will you take the truth potion or not?”
“Your proposal is fair.” Thomas nodded and stood up. “I’ll go get the potion.”
“Wait.” Noah held a hand up, and Thomas stopped mid-motion. “Let me smell it, so I can make sure it’s the same strength as the one you just gave me.”
Smart. Shifters had the best noses of any supernatural species. Noah would easily be able to sniff the potion and tell if it was as strong as the one he’d just drank.
Thomas handed over the potion.
Noah held it under his nose and inhaled. “It’s good.” He nodded and handed it back to Thomas. “Go ahead.”
Thomas downed the potion like it was a shot. Then he placed the empty vial next to where the one Noah had previously taken was sitting on the coffee table. “I hope you know that I’m telling you this because I want to keep you safe,” he said, focused on me.
I swallowed, sweat beading on my forehead. This media room was feeling smaller by the second. I wanted to know the truth, but if the recording was real…
A pit formed in my stomach at the possibility. Because if the recording was real, I wouldn’t be able to trust my brother or my pack.
I’d be alone.
I wasn’t scared by much, but the thought of being alone terrified me.
“Do you want to ask, or should I?” Noah’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“I can do it.” I straightened and turned to Thomas, not wanting him to see my fear. “Was the conversation you just played for us an accurate, unaltered recording of the discussion you had with Flint within the past few days?” I was careful to word my question properly, as I didn’t want to give Thomas a way to lie by omission.
“Yes.” Thomas held his gaze with mine. “Hours before you arrived to my penthouse, Flint called me. I recorded the conversation, and what you heard was an accurate, unaltered version of what we discussed. I know it’s hard to hear, but I’m telling you this because I love you and I want to keep you safe no matter what.”
The Angel Trials- The Complete Series Page 40
