“There must be another solution.” Another council member stepped forward. “We could call all of our Enforcers to join in the fight.”
“And there are many warlocks in our coven who would be more than happy to step forward for battle,” the Summoner added. “Men who lead regular lives. They would happily pick up their daggers and come.”
The Magister’s face darkened, long lines stretching across his skin. “You would have me create an army.”
“We need one if the vampires are so hellbent on war,” the Summoner said. “You know how they operate. If they truly want to destroy our coven, they will track us down, one by one, until there are no more bone mages left in this town. We are stronger together rather than apart.”
The Magister’s frown deepened. “Maybe so, but there’s no time to gather forces right now. We will go to the safe house and then develop a plan going forward. Grab your weapons now, and go.” He watched as the council members exchanged glances, and his voice hardened. “That’s an order.”
The men shifted uneasily. A few murmurs went up between them, but ultimately they bowed to the Magister’s commands. In a single file, they exited the motel room and edged into the parking lot. The two men in plastic chairs at the end of the row paused and twisted toward us, frowning at the strange sight.
“Let’s go, men.” The Summoner stepped through the cluster of council members to lead the way, but the direction of his footsteps made me pause. Where the hell was he going? Instead of hopping into their cars and getting the hell out of here, the council was heading straight toward the underpass about two hundred feet from the motel.
“Where are your cars?” I asked as I fell into step beside one of the council members. He looked younger than the others. More like an Enforcer with a full head of light blond hair and a strong jaw that rivaled his build. I didn’t know his name. Hell, I didn’t know any of their names. He’d sat quietly in the meeting when I’d tried to convince the council of my innocence, and I could remember him giving me an encouraging nod at some point.
“The Summoner didn’t want to park them here in case the Dogaru clan knows the license plates.” The man gave me a tight smile. “So, we parked them on the other side of the underpass in an abandoned factory’s lot.”
“Great,” I said with a shiver. “That doesn’t sound foreboding at all.”
“My name is Ben,” the man said as we turned our feet onto the hard concrete road. “I just want to say thanks for doing this. After the way you’ve been treated, I wouldn’t have blamed you for keeping your head down. You’ve got a lot of guts.”
“Thanks.” I shrugged my hands into my jacket pockets and smiled. “I won’t lie. This whole thing has been kind of a nightmare, but…”
“But you’re doing what needs to be done.” He nodded. “You’d make a good Enforcer, once your spells are up to scraps. Easy enough to train you in that though.”
“Me?” I shook my head with a laugh as we began to cross into the concrete tunnel underneath the highway. My voice echoed off the thick walls. “Yeah, I don’t think so, Ben.”
For a moment, the world seemed to stutter into slow-motion. The back of my neck prickled in alarm, and I paused my steps. Wind whistled through the underpass, and leaves scuttled across the ground. At the end of the tunnel, a dim circular light flickered like a lighthouse beam, signaling the exit up ahead. But the shadows were thick between our group and the end. Anyone could be hiding and waiting for us to pass through.
Unease danced along my skin.
“Stop.” The word tumbled from my lips, and I held up a trembling finger. The men around me froze but not before reaching for their weapons. The flash of steel sent shivers down my spine.
“What’s wrong, Zoe?” Ben asked in a quiet whisper.
I shook my head, scanning the tunnel before us. Nothing shifted in the darkness. No sound met my ears. Overhead, the whir of wheels on the highway drowned out anyone who might be lurking down here. I lifted my chin and sniffed the air. The tangy scent of iron filled my head.
“I think the vampires are here,” I mouthed to no one in particular, but they all heard me just the same.
The Summoner stepped in front of the group and raised his chalk high in the air. All around me, warlocks furiously scribbled their runes. I tightened the grip on my dagger and bent my knees. It might not be as strong as a Blast into a vampire’s face, but I was better off using my blade than a rune I couldn’t control.
When the men were ready, we began to move down the tunnel, away from the safety of the road. My boots were quiet on the concrete, and my breath barely whispered from my lungs. I was my best in the shadows. I always had been. For so long I’d tried to ignore it, to dismiss it as something else, but now I saw the truth like a glaring, bright billboard. My strength was in the darkness.
Up ahead, the hollow tock of footsteps grew loud.
“Prepare for battle, my men.” The Summoner stopped and raised his weapon high. “May the goddess protect us.”
His voice boomed in the quiet tunnel, and angry voices rang out in response. Vampires appeared out of the shadows ahead, their fangs glinting in the dark. Fear shot through my gut as I raised my weapon high. There were at least twenty Daywalkers before us, and there were only ten of us to take them on.
And the Magister had begun to flee.
“Leon! No, wait! Stop!” The Summoner spotted our leader racing down the tunnel, heading straight for the safety of the road we left behind. My mouth dropped open, and my eyes went wide. I could barely believe what I saw. Leon Dupont had come across as so calm and in control, so stern, so serious. He’d held himself as any Magister should. And yet here he was, abandoning his men and showing himself to be the coward he was.
The Magister’s pace only quickened when he heard the Summoner’s desperate shouts, far too intent on escape to heed his warning. I tightened my grip on my dagger and considered sprinting after him, but I couldn’t force a man to fight, not even the leader of us all.
Just as he reached the archway, a vampire shot out from behind him. Christian Dogaru, the leader of the clan. Two agonizing beats passed where my voice got stuck in my throat with my arm raised in a startled warning.
But it was too late, and he was much too far away. The vampire wrapped his arm around Leon’s waist and dug his teeth deep into his neck. The Magister bucked and shook, a gurgled scream escaping from his throat. Tears burned my eyes and grief shook my chest. He may have been a coward, but he was one of us.
And now he was dead.
The vampire yanked his teeth from the warlock’s neck and tossed the body to the ground. Blood dripped down his chin as he shot us a chilly smile.
“Your leader is dead,” Christian Dogaru said in a low voice that skittered along my skin.
Silence settled over us like a suffocating blanket. The council members were clearly in shock, and to be honest, so was I. The vampires had done far more than start a war, they’d taken down our leader in the blink of an eye. As if he meant nothing.
The Summoner shifted through the council members and stood in front of the pack, taking up the mantle of our leader because no one else could. He lifted his chin and raised his voice, his words echoing off the walls around us. “Christian. We understand that you believe we killed two of your blood bags. As far as I’m aware, this never happened. Either way, you’ve now had your revenge. Tell me, has your blood lust been quenched?”
A skitter ran through the clustered vampires. Several of them parted, revealing the two women I remembered meeting at the club. They both smiled wide and vicious smiles, their dark eyes locking right onto me. “For now. But we want the girl.”
“The girl?” Frowning, the Summoner glanced at me. Great. Knowing how this guy felt about me, there was only one way this would go. He’d hand me over to them without a second thought. “I’m assuming you’re referring to Miss Bennett here. We have no other women among us. However, despite what you may believe, she had nothing to do with the dea
ths of your blood bags. She’s innocent.”
“You don’t know?” Christian Dogaru cocked his head. “Your Magister ordered the deaths of our blood bags, and they aren’t the only ones he’s had his assassin take. Two are dead, and two are still missing.”
What? My mind raced. Leon Dupont, the leader of us all, had been the one behind the deaths? Did that mean he’d tried to frame me, too? That explained his attitude toward me and why he’d argued against me at every turn. But why would he do such a thing? Glancing at his body, I frowned. Now, I might never find out.
One thing was for certain though. Even though he’d ordered the deaths of the blood bags, he clearly hadn’t been prepared for the war it had caused. The true puppet master was someone else—Vincent, the Enforcer. The one who had told the vampires where the remaining council hid.
“Since we don’t know who the assassin is, we went for the man behind it all. But that’s not enough.” One of the women dismissed me with a flick of her long fingernails. “We want this witch’s sweet-tasting friend. Since so many of our blood bags are lost, we would like her to replace them with her delicious witch’s blood. Return her to us, and we’ll end this fight. For now.”
The Summoner’s back stiffened, and my mouth went chalk dry. This was turning out to be far worse than I’d thought. Instead of handing me over to the vampires, the Summoner would give them Laura.
I couldn’t let that happen. They would drink from her, charm her, drain her. And after seeing just how violent they were, I knew it could turn into something far worse than that.
“No,” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes. “You can’t give her up.”
“You will be quiet,” Summoner Salvatore said in a snap, angling his body so that he faced the vampires head on, blocking me from their view. Most likely to try and stop me from arguing against their demands.
The Summoner’s voice rang out loud and clear in the tunnel. “Men, get into position.”
The council members flanked their leader until they formed an oblique attack position. The vampires began to murmur, pulling their numbers in close and raising their hands in offense. My pulse pounded in my head, surprise and confusion flittering through me. What was he planning? An attack? Was he going to keep Laura from harm after all?
I made a move to join the warlocks, but the Summoner twisted quickly to face me. His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke his words at a furious speed. “Run. Go protect her. We’ll hold them off as long as we can. And for goddess’s sake, let Dorian help you.”
And then he whirled on the vampires, raised his dagger, and charged toward them with the ferocity of the deadliest of soldiers. As much as I yearned to join in the fray, he’d given me an opportunity I couldn’t ignore. I needed to get Laura someplace safe. It wouldn’t take the vampires long to figure out where she was.
I had to move fast.
Chapter 19
“Is Laura here?” I flew into the kitchen of Blue Moon Tavern and practically ran smack dab into Nathan’s chest. He barked out a cry of alarm and jumped back, managing to balance a tray of clean pint glasses in his hand. His eyes landed on my face, and they softened almost immediately, registering exactly who had jumped out and scared the living shit out of him.
“Zoe. You almost made me crap my pants.” He cocked his head, half-smiling. “Not that I’m complaining. What’s going on? I thought you had a shift tonight.”
“I can’t explain right now.” And I wasn’t sure I even could. I’d seen him only hours before, but so much had happened in such a short space of time that it felt more like years. “Where’s Laura? Is she here?”
“Yeah, I called her in to cover your shift when you didn’t show.” His green eyes flicked across my face, snagging on the deep furrow of my eyebrows. “What’s going on, Zoe? Is something wrong?”
“Oh, thank the goddess.” My entire body sagged in relief. My best friend was safe and sound and not currently being drained by angry vampires. Yet, I had to remind myself. It wouldn’t take long for them to find out where she lived, where she worked, where she typically hung out. We both used social media, and our lives were up there on the internet for the entire world to see.
“The goddess?” Nathan raised his eyebrows and set down his tray of pint glasses onto the metal kitchen work surface. “One of these days, I really want you to sit down with me and explain all this demon and goddess and ghost stuff, Zoe. Maybe over dinner. What do you think?”
Over…dinner? I blinked up at him, and a new kind of pang went through my heart. Was Nathan Whitman asking me on a date? His eyes met mine. Soft, calm, hopeful, safe. He was pretty much the opposite of everything I was. I was reckless and anxious and surrounded by danger at every turn. As much as he wanted me to say yes, I couldn’t go out to dinner with him, not even as a friend. At least not right now, when a storm was brewing in my world. He was just a human. He had no supernatural strength, and he had no spells to protect himself. He could end up getting killed.
“Nathan, I’d love to, but…” Wow, this was harder than I thought it would be, saying no to one of the nicest guys I’d ever met in my life. “It’s just not a good time. I’m sorry.”
A flicker of pain passed across his face before his easygoing smile returned. He turned to the nearby shelf and fiddled with a stack of shot glasses. “No worries. I totally get it. But if you ever change your mind, you know where I am.”
The temptation to take back my words was almost overwhelming. Why did he have to be so understanding and nice about the fact I’d just turned him down? But now was most definitely not the time for dinner dates and whatever might come along with them. I needed to get Laura someplace safe, and I needed to do it now.
“Where’s Laura?” I said, turning my attention back on what I came here for.
“She’s behind the bar.” Nathan ran his fingers through his hair and gave me a sad smile. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not sticking around tonight? Does this have anything to do with the girl who died with her bones missing?”
“Wait, what?” I blinked at him.
“The girl who died at the university. They said her bones were missing from her body. I figured it had something to do with your demon stuff.”
That was…bizarre to say the least. But I didn’t have time to process that right now.
“Thanks, Nathan.” I pressed away from the wall and headed toward the double doors leading into the main section of the bar. Already, the familiar din of jukebox sounds, raucous laughter, and clinking glasses rose up and enveloped me like a warm blanket. It was a startling reminder of what my life had been like only days before, when things had been achingly normal. Back then, I’d yearned for something different, for excitement to swoop in and carry me off my feet.
I’d wanted something more, hence my tendency to skirt around the laws of magic and flat-out break the human ones. As it turned out, excitement was way over-rated. I’d do anything to go back to the boring days I used to know.
“Oh, by the way,” Nathan said as I pushed open the door. “Someone’s out there looking for you.”
A cold chill went through my veins, and I froze with my fingers pressed against the rough wood. Who would be here looking for me? The Enforcer from the alley? A vampire? My stomach squeezed tight. Oh shit, what if it was Dorian? Even though the council had vouched for him, I wasn’t ready to face that particular demon in my life.
But when I finally got the courage to step out the door, I found a middle-aged woman slumped in the middle of the bar, her lips pursing against what must be her fifth or sixth drink. Sober, she was not. In fact, she looked downright trashed.
“Zoe,” Alice slurred when her half-lidded eyes landed on me. “Have you found my fucking husband yet?”
Not even close. Between the attack on the coven, discovering Dorian’s true nature, and going up against a full-fledged Enforcer, I’d barely had two seconds to think about Professor Wagner.
“Not yet,” I said as I waved at Laura, who was serving a
cluster of college kids at the end of the bar. Her striped hair was spun into a messy ponytail, and there were pillows of darkness under her eyes, but she looked better than ever to me. Even the wounds on her neck had begun to heal.
I turned back to where Alice was rubbing her fingers absently across a half-squeezed lime. “But I swear I’m looking into it. I just need a few more days. Word on the street is that he’s into hunting grimoires, so that’s most likely where he’s gone.”
“Find him now.” She lifted her eyes, and I flinched at the tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. “Please, Zoe. I’m begging you. Please. There has to be a way. You’re a witch, for fuck’s sake. Don’t you know how to do any spells?”
At the word witch, I flinched and immediately glanced at the nearby customers, the ones who sat underneath the glow of the neon beer signs hanging beside the bar. But if they’d noticed Alice’s words, they didn’t care. They were far too caught up in their own little world of damp beer bottles, stale pretzels, and wingman duties. Besides, who would believe a drunk woman spouting nonsense about witches and spells?
My mind stuttered. Wait a minute. Maybe there was something I could do. Turning my back on Alice, I pulled Grams’s book from my pocket. There had been a spell in here, something called Seek. I couldn’t be sure what it could do, but it sure as hell sounded like a way to track someone down. Quickly, I found the page, frowning when I discovered the words were in Latin.
“Right.” I took a deep breath and turned to Alice. “There may be something I can do. As soon as I have an update, I’ll give you a call.”
Her eyes lit up, momentarily clear when she caught the serious expression on my face. “You’ll find him?”
“I’m going to try to,” I said. “I can’t guarantee to get him back, especially as he could be anywhere in the world. But I should be able to pinpoint him.”
The Bone Coven Chronicles: The Complete Series Page 15
