The walls felt like they were closing in around her, and Diana’s word echoed in her head. “It’s too late for second thoughts now.” This couldn’t be the way she got her sister back. Annabelle would never want to be saved at the expense of someone else, least of all Ethan. And even if the Ouroboros managed to reset everything, could she live with herself, knowing the pain she’d caused?
She felt dirty, as if her insides were turning black with every lie and betrayal. She was losing a little bit more of herself each time; it felt like she was disappearing. A scream burned her throat as it tried to force itself free. She bit it back and clenched her fists in a vain attempt to hold it all in. She needed to fix this. She needed to make it right.
With a laboured breath, she pushed up from the floor and stumbled to the bed. She reached under the mattress for the white box before turning to the locker where her grimoire rested. The book lay open at the page she’d used for Ethan’s serum, and the image of him contorted in pain once again flashed before her. She gritted her teeth and flicked past the page. That spell had already done its job; it would either work or it wouldn’t. What she needed now was another spell, one that would help her end this.
Scrawled writing and roughly drawn images blurred past until she finally paused her search. Her breathing slowly returned to normal as she scanned the details. This was it. This was what she needed.
A strange sense of calm settled in her chest as she sat back on the bed and pulled the box onto her lap. She opened it and took a long look at the object she once thought would solve everything, then closed the lid and reached for her phone.
“I have your location,” she said as soon as the call was answered.
Phoenix paced the length of the small kitchen as she waited for the kettle to boil. Adrenaline still trickled through her, setting her nerves on edge.
Ethan’s response to the serum had been instantaneous and terrifying. Spasms had overtaken his whole body, and her heart had frozen in pure terror as she watched the veins bulge in his arms and neck, his back bowing. Her body had screamed at her to do something, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? There wasn’t always an enemy to fight. So, she’d watched helplessly as Nate held him down to stop him from hurting himself even more.
It had passed in a couple of minutes, but those minutes had been some of the longest of her life. What followed was a puke session worthy of a horror movie, but after that, Ethan’s deathly pallor seemed to fade somewhat and his breathing had become less laboured. He fell into a deep sleep, which Nate assured her was a good thing. She still wasn’t convinced.
Just as she was about to throw her cup at the wall, Abi popped her head through the door.
“He’s awake.”
She hurried after her friend and into the living room to find Ethan sitting up on the sofa, looking healthier than he had in days. He gave her a crooked smile and her heart stuttered in overwhelming relief.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better. Still pretty tired, but my body seems to be doing its thing now that whatever stopped it from healing is gone.”
She slumped onto the sofa beside him, all the energy draining from her body along with the unspoken fear she’d clung to. She closed her eyes and allowed herself that moment to just breathe.
“We’ll stay here until you get your strength back. Then we can all head to Donegal together,” Nate was saying in the background.
Her eyes flew open as she suddenly remembered the other reason she was so determined for them all to regroup.
“Where’s Shade?”
She hadn’t seen the vampire once since she’d gotten here. Her first priority had been to get Ethan help, but now that he seemed to be doing better, she didn’t want to waste time playing happy families while Shade found another knife to stick in her back.
“He’s gone to follow up on a possible lead that might help us with the Council,” Nate answered. “He reckoned we needed more help, and I’m inclined to agree.”
On the sofa at the other side of the room, Abi shifted uncomfortably, not meeting her gaze. Ethan gave her a weary look and his brown eyes pleaded with her not to start an argument. She gawked at him. How could he still believe that Shade was innocent?
Darius rats him out and suddenly he disappears to “follow up on a lead”? Come on, what a load of bullshit.
“Help us with the Council? Shade’s working against us. He betrayed us to the Council, and he’s the reason he” – she stabbed a finger emphatically in Ethan’s direction – “almost got killed.”
“Enough, Phoenix.” Ethan sat forward, hanging his head in his hands as he propped his elbows on his knees. “You need to drop this ridiculous notion. Shade may not like you, but none of this is his fault.”
“Darius confirmed it.”
Ethan’s head jerked up, his face a mask of shock. “What?”
“Darius paid me a little visit. Back at the B&B while you were having your catnap. He was only too happy to claim Shade as one of his own.”
Ethan’s face paled and Nate placed a hand on his shoulder, calmly encouraging him to rest back in the seat. “What exactly did Darius say?” he asked, his tone far too reasonable for her liking.
She cast her thoughts back, trying to remember Darius’s exact words. It was all a bit of a blur. Her emotions had been on such a rollercoaster since seeing him and the exhaustion was starting to cloud her mind.
“It doesn’t matter exactly what he said. He confirmed that Shade was betraying us.”
She waited for the lightbulb to switch on and understanding to dawn on their faces. Ethan just shook his head, and Nate appeared as relaxed as ever. Only Abi frowned in concern at her words.
Nate gave her an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Phoenix, but I don’t buy it. Shade’s a pain in the hole, but he’s a good guy. You of all people should know what Darius’s word is worth.”
She gaped at him in disbelief as anger bubbled up inside her. What the hell was with these people? How could they sit there and defend him when it was obvious he’d screwed them over?
“Are you shitting me? The guy was turned in Darius’s territory and has some crock story about not knowing who his Sire is. How can you not see the connection here?”
Ethan sighed heavily. “It’s not that we don’t see your point, but you can’t deny that your source is dubious at best. Even if Darius is his Sire, Shade is our friend. You can’t really expect us to condemn him without even hearing his side of things.”
A strange numbness filled her chest as she looked at each of them in turn. They didn’t believe her.
With a stiff nod, she stood up. “I thought you might respect me enough to trust my word, but I guess I was wrong. If you want proof, I’ll get it. I just hope no one else gets hurt while you hold on to your denial.”
She turned and walked out of the room, nails digging into the palms of her hand as she swallowed past the burning in her throat.
Darius stepped through the portal and followed the rest of the Witnesses to the Council chambers. His face was a mask of indifference, but inside he was seething. A last-minute summons by the Council was an irritating show of power at the best of times, but this one had come at the most inconvenient moment.
Everything had been set up for the first test to transfer the demon. If the test was a success, not only would his plans take a significant leap forward, but he would also have a very useful weapon to help protect Phoenix from the Mists.
Low murmurs and restless shifting filled the antechamber. He caught snippets of conversation suggesting Maj had fulfilled her oath, and that was the reason for the sudden meeting. If not for the team he now had tracking Phoenix’s movements, he’d have feared the same thing.
He hadn’t exaggerated when he’d warned her the second Mist was coming. Less than an hour after she’d vacated the B&B, Maj had arrived. He’d watched from the shadows since there was no need for him to reveal himself just yet. Not surprisingly, there was no sign of Maj when he looked arou
nd the chamber. The Mist was a lot smarter than her younger brother and he strongly suspected she’d gone to ground to await her next opportunity rather than returning to admit failure.
And it was only a matter of time before that opportunity came. If Phoenix didn’t come to her senses soon, it would make his job of keeping her alive a whole lot harder.
A sudden hush fell over the room, drawing his attention to the platform at the centre. All five Council members stood in a line with their hoods pulled low enough that their faces were cloaked in shadow.
The large double doors at the back of the room opened and Vicktor entered, making his way to the centre to stand before them. His pristine grey suit was complemented by his usual pompous air and arrogant confidence, but there was a subtle tension that held his shoulders a little too still.
To what do we owe the honour of this weasel gracing our presence yet again?
As Darius watched, Vicktor bowed his head and kept his gaze fixed to the ground until all Council members had lowered the hoods of their cloaks.
Méabh stepped forward with only a brief glance of acknowledgement for the CLO rep. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why you’ve been summoned here at such short notice. It has come to my attention that one of our own has withheld key information from us. Information that may have contributed to a swifter end to this unfortunate situation.”
Darius tensed, his eyes flicking back to Vicktor. Had the little weasel informed the Council of his involvement? He’d been sure the man would value his survival far too much to betray him. Not to mention it would risk bringing to light his own duplicitous actions. Had he been mistaken in not dealing with the rep sooner?
Vlad held up his hand to halt the intrigued murmurings filling the room. His face remained stoic, but there was a curious glint to his eye as he nodded for Méabh to continue.
She gave him a saccharine smile before turning to address the room once more. “The hybrid poses a threat to us all. And as such, it has been agreed that she must be sacrificed for the sake of the Lore and all humanity. We know from Shayan’s failed attempt” – she cast a cold glance towards the youngest Mist who stood in the shadows scowling – “that there are others of our kind assisting her. With the help of key sources, we have managed to identify these accomplices.”
She paused dramatically before nodding to Vicktor.
Vicktor straightened and smoothed invisible creases from his tailored suit jacket. “We at the CLO have been working tirelessly to gather information that may be of assistance to the Council in bringing this unfortunate matter to a swift conclusion. From our investigations, we can now confirm that, aside from the werewolf and witch, there is also a shifter and vampire aiding the hybrid in her endeavours. The concerning point, however, relates to the wolf. It appears that the man who intervened in Shayan’s attack has a familial connection to one of the Council members.”
He didn’t have to speak the name for every eye in the room to turn to William. The apologetic glance the CLO rep cast in the head werewolf’s direction was as genuine as Darius’s supplication to Council rule. William, for his part, didn’t react. He held his hands clasped loosely in front of his body with his steely gaze fixed dead ahead.
Of course, this wasn’t new information to him. Darius himself had seen to that. But it was obvious from the tension radiating from the other Council members that they’d been kept in the dark about this little fact.
Diana’s eyes blazed as she crossed her arms. Vlad’s expression didn’t change so much as his energy shifted with a subtle movement of his body and a darkening in the colour of his eyes. Darius wasn’t sure what it meant, but he could clearly see the cogs turning in the vampire’s mind.
Kam tilted his head and regarded his fellow Council member closely. It was he that stepped forward and called a hush to the rumble of speculation moving around the antechamber.
“William, would you care to speak in your defence?”
The wolf looked at him and a muscle jumped at the side of his jaw. Just once.
“What exactly am I expected to defend? I was as unaware of this connection as you. It changes nothing.”
Diana gaped at him before snapping her mask of composure back into place. “Of course it changes things. How do we know you haven’t been feeding him information?”
“I haven’t.”
She opened her mouth in retort, but William turned to address the other members of the Council before she could utter another word.
“As we’ve just heard, there is also a shifter” – he nodded towards Kam – “a vampire” – nod in Vlad’s direction – “and a witch” – a pointed look to Diana – “helping the hybrid. My priority is as it’s always been: the safety of our people. If a member of my family chooses to get themselves caught in the crossfire, that’s their choice.”
Darius raised an eyebrow as he watched the interchange. He knew the wolf was bluffing, and any other Supe in the room with a good nose should have also been able to smell the lie. Yet, William appeared completely assured, and the lack of condemnation from the crowd would suggest the Witnesses were sold on his declaration. Interesting.
“May I make a proposal?” Vlad held his arms wide and pasted the perfect politician smile on his face as he addressed the room. “The second Mist has already been deployed. It’s only a matter of time before we receive confirmation that she has fulfilled her duty. Perhaps William might agree to remain within Council chambers until such a time we receive that confirmation … Just a formality, of course. To put everyone’s minds at ease regarding his loyalty.”
William bared his teeth at the vampire, and Vlad’s smile widened.
“That seems a fair proposal to me,” Méabh agreed, a long red fingernail playing at the corner of her full red lips as she regarded William with a calculating gaze.
The other Council members nodded their agreement. William inclined his head in acknowledgement and stalked from the room.
Phoenix drove aimlessly, no real destination or plan of action in mind. It wasn’t like you could outrun your own thoughts, was it? The numbness that had started in her chest now wrapped around her like a protective bubble and she clung to it, grateful for the temporary reprieve it afforded. She’d switched off her phone, too, but only after sending Abi a message to reassure her she was okay and promising not to leave without her.
Did she intend on leaving? She had no idea. Where would she even go? She just knew that somewhere under the protective layer of numb, she was angry. And hurt. Even with everything pointing to his guilt, they were taking Shade’s side over hers. She was still the outsider, and he was their friend.
If she stayed and they stuck to the original plan, there was a high chance it’d put her in more danger. But when she thought of walking away, her stomach churned uncomfortably. Had she gotten so used to having others to rely on that she was afraid to be alone? Or was it the thought of walking away from Ethan?
As the sun dipped low on the horizon, she found herself drawn back to a familiar view: the castle.
At the edge of the jagged cliff, the setting sun framed the ruins in a glowing halo of red that seemed to pulse with the energy filling the air. She slowed the car to a crawl as she neared the entrance and watched the last coach of tourists pull away.
An old man in a green duffel coat and tweed cap pulled the barrier to the carpark closed, his movements painstakingly slow as he fitted the large padlock. When the lock clicked into place, he turned to look at her car, which was now stopped at the end of the dirt road, and inclined his head. Phoenix couldn’t be sure from where she sat, but she could’ve sworn there was a satisfied look on the old man’s face.
A glint in the distance drew her attention towards the cliff edge and she squinted, trying to see what had caused it. Nothing obvious jumped out at her, so she turned her gaze back to the gate to find the old man gone and the locked gate now open and waiting.
Curious, she put the car into gear and eased the car up the narrow dirt road.
She killed the engine and got out, expecting to feel the bite of the salty sea breeze on her skin, but there was nothing. The air was unnaturally calm, and it held a weight that seemed almost pensive.
A strange vibration ran down her spine and thrummed through her solar plexus. She looked around, searching for a possible source, but she was completely alone.
Slowly, she walked towards the low stone wall that formed a barrier between the carpark and lush green lawns of the castle. As she passed the rear of the car, the vibration turned into an odd tugging sensation, almost like an invisible rope was attached to her sternum, pulling her backwards.
She eyed the boot of the car warily and stretched an intrepid hand out to open it. She held her breath, half expecting something to jump out and attack, but the boot opened with an anticlimactic click.
A tentative peek inside revealed nothing other than the few belongings she and Ethan had brought with them: two rucksacks of clothes, some emergency supplies, and the wood box covered in Celtic symbols that held her father’s sword.
Her hand reached towards the box and the insistent pull grew stronger. She bit back a nervous laugh as she envisaged opening it to see the sword inside glowing. Thankfully, it wasn’t. When she lifted the lid, the sword sat innocently cushioned on the bed of red satin casing. The blade was as simple as the box was ornate. It was only with a closer look that similar Celtic designs could be seen shimmering along the metal.
Without a thought, her hand closed around the smooth wooden grip, and instantly a sense of calm fell over her. A tension she hadn’t even fully acknowledged unravelled itself, and she took a deep breath. The salty air tickled her nose as she filled her lungs.
The bronze hilt sat snuggly against her hand, the long blade perfectly balanced. Shafts of light radiated from the sword when the sun’s rays touched it, and for a moment, she was mesmerised. An answering heat came to life in the centre of her chest.
2 Minutes to Midnight: Urban Fantasy Midnight Trilogy Book 2 Page 13
