The pointer moved to yes.
“Is it the magic from her conversion to part-vampire?”
The pointer didn’t hesitate as it moved to no.
“Is it from another’s tampering?”
Yes.
“Is the intentions for evil?”
Yes.
“Is Darcy in grave danger?”
This time the pointer began spelling out a word.
P-O-S-S-E-S-S-E-D.
I wasn’t the only one who gasped loudly. It was only a small idea I’d entertained with Daniel, back in the office, when I shared my suspicions. It was one thing to wonder and another to have it confirmed.
“Are you sure?”
Yes.
Before Vivien could ask more questions, the pointer continued spelling something out.
H-U-R-R-Y.
“Why? Who’s possessing my mate?” I interrupted.
H-U-R-R-Y. The pointer repeated the word.
“Elynor, can you tell us who’s responsible?” Devlin asked.
H-E.
I-S.
C-O-M-I-N-G.
M-U-S-T.
S-T-O-P.
H-I-M.
“The connection’s weakening,” Vivien quickly spoke. “I don’t know how long I can keep the bridge between worlds open.”
S-A-V-E.
H-E-R.
“Tell us who’s hurting our Darcy, sister, please?”
I.
L-O-V-E.
Y-O-U.
B-R-O-T-H-E-R.
“Elynor!” Devlin’s frantic cry as the pointer stopped mid-movement and remained lifeless on the board pierced my heart.
“She’s gone, Devlin,” Vivien whispered.
Tears broke free from his eyes and rolled over his cheeks. “She was able to help us, though. We might not know who’s behind this, but we know more than we did before.” Wiping his face with the back of his hand, Devlin nodded. “Damn, it was good to feel that close to her, again.
“You don’t talk with her through the board?” I asked.
Devlin shook his head and Vivien answered for him. “I’ve offered him countless times, but he’s refused.”
“It would be too hard and nothing could substitute actually having her here, in person. As much as I would love to communicate like this with her, I’m afraid of the damage it would do to my heart.”
I couldn’t argue with him. Watching how just the few minutes had unraveled his tough facade, I knew I’d react the same way. “Then I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for family. For my niece . . . for you.”
“I don’t want to interrupt a tender moment, but we read that right, didn’t we? Darcy’s possessed?” Daniel looked about our circle.
“Yeah. So I was correct in thinking that it wasn’t her. Last night, whoever’s inside her body slipped up and spoke as themselves,” I answered.
“Then what’s the plan?” Vivien asked. “I can remove whoever it is, but I’ll need to be in the same room as Darcy . . . or whomever.”
“We’ll need to search for Darcy and bring her here. Do you have shackles?” I addressed Devlin with my last question.
“In the back of my truck.”
“Then let’s go.” Daniel was already standing as I rose to my feet. “I’ll put out a call to pack members and have them report if they see her. Woodside Hollow isn’t so big that she could hide indefinitely. She screwed up once.”
“She’ll hopefully screw up, again,” I added. I paused long enough to drive my concentration inwardly. “Our connection never returned once it shattered during the conversion. Damn, it just explains so much. All that time.”
“Not now, Mason,” Devlin counseled, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. “The point is we know, and now we can do something about it. The blame rests with whoever did this.”
“I can’t sense her. Can you?” I brushed aside his attempt to offer me solace. I didn’t want it. I wanted my anger and guilt to fuel my determination to save Darcy and bring the threat to justice.
Pack justice.
No one messed with those in my care.
No one attacked those I loved.
Devlin stilled, his eyes closed. “As her Sire and relative, I might be able to . . . maybe . . . if I reach out far enough.”
We stood back and gave him all the space he needed. I wasn’t sure how it worked with vampires or whether they had the same abilities I had, as Alpha. Being mated to Darcy enabled me to sneak inside her mind.
His eyelids popped open as a victorious smile erupted. That was the sign I’d been waiting for.
“Did you sense her?”
“Yep, and I know where she is.”
“Where?” Daniel and I asked simultaneously.
“I’ll explain on the way. And if I’m right, there’s not a second to lose!”
Chapter Four
Amber
Stepping over the lifeless body I just drained and dropped to the ground, I wiped away the beaded blood at the corner of my mouth. “You’d think they’d have learned from the last time we were here. Idiots.”
“It’s all part of the arrogance,” Helena agreed, scorn dripping from her words. Her face showed the disdain she felt from the destruction we’d wreaked. In the brief time we’d been here at the vortex, the body count was absolute. No one was left standing and the hunger I’d felt tugging at me since waking was fully and gloriously satiated.
The last few fools I’d killed had been simply for pure enjoyment.
My mother had always drilled into me, ‘Waste not, want not’ when I was a child. Looking around at my handiwork, I would’ve made her proud. She couldn’t have accused me of being disobedient because I sure as hell didn’t waste this opportunity to give in to my violent tendencies.
“Should I destroy the security footage?” Cameras watched us from their high vantage points, silently recording everything.
“No, this time let them witness their impending downfall.” By them, Helena meant the Council and Enforcers.
Shrugging, I was fine with having everything out in the open. All this slinking around in secret, not able to show the world what I was capable of, was exhausting. Staring straight at the camera positioned on the wall near me, I waved, smirking proudly. “Poor bastards won’t know what hit them. It’s been fun watching them scramble to understand what’s happening and make sense of the sudden outbreak of crime.”
It had been hard not to openly gloat at the recent council meeting and acknowledge the handiwork displayed in the photos Devlin passed around as mine. I wasn’t naturally a killer, but it had come remarkably easy. I thought I’d need to bury my emotions and conscience, but it was the opposite.
The fury that always seemed to boil just below the surface, combined with the belief that I was destined for greater things, actually helped fuel my actions. It gave each death meaning—the necessary steppingstones to a higher purpose.
I’d kill a million people if it meant that Mason was that much closer to being mine.
After today, he would be.
Besides, it was something I was good at—and who was I to ignore a god-given talent?
Helena smiled. “All those years of pretending I was one of them. It’ll make it all worth it.”
It still surprised me just how much the twisted witch and I had in common. We’d wanted to be good—once upon a time—yearning to be accepted by those we admired and loved. Her story was similar to mine. She’d been rejected and cast aside by someone she’d wanted more than life itself. Someone in power had seduced Helena and, as soon as he had his fill of her, he’d tossed her to the curb for someone else. It had taught her that all men were liars and the cruelest of betrayers. She’d vowed, that heartbreaking moment, to never allow anyone to make her that vulnerable again. Taking the lessons learned, she’d embraced the only thing that mattered—her ambition. Studying in private, Helena had gleaned a deep well of magical power, stockpiling it for the day she’d
finally come into her own and rise above her inferiors.
She worked for the one she called “Master”, because he was her ticket to greatness.
I followed her because, alone, I’d exhausted my own resources. It didn’t matter how I reached my goal, at this point, as long as the outcome was the same.
Helena would become the most powerful witch and rule beside the greatest opponent the world has ever seen.
And I would have Mason to love . . . to control . . . to punish.
Just thinking about it sent an impatient thrill through me. Holding that kind of dominion over someone was a turn-on.
“As much as I enjoy a good massacre, time’s a ticking.”
Nodding, Helena led the way, moving through the surveillance room toward the vortex. She looked every bit the regal queen with her back straightened and head held high. All her plans were finally coming to fruition. Victory was only moments away.
I paused long enough to reach over and trail my finger through a cooling pool of blood, bringing the spilt redness to my mouth before licking it off. My initial plan had been to claim the prize for my nefarious deeds and then retreat from the politics that no doubt would follow. I’d seen a few battles and authority shifts in power, especially within Packs. There would be a huge scramble as everyone pledged their allegiance to the one that had taken over, some fighting to hold onto how things were previously. Once the dust settled, however, life would slip into the new reality.
But maybe disappearing with Mason wasn’t the better choice.
Maybe there was a place for me within the new regime—one that would give me more chances to hone my skills as a killer. Every ruler needed a hired gun, someone who didn’t mind having blood coat their hands as they colored their surroundings with gore. It was definitely something to entertain.
Following Helena through the now opened and unguarded doors, we made our way to where the vortex resided.
I’d never seen the vortex, only heard about it through others, but there was no denying why it was so heavily protected. The power thrumming through the air, the way the enchanted electricity caused the hairs on my arm to prickle was beyond impressive. If I hadn’t known what it was, I would’ve thought that it was pretty unimpressive–no flashing telltale signs about what lay beneath the surface of the earth. The vortex was a natural source of energy, a leyline of unlimited potent magic that was marked by a rough circle of stones and crystals. There was a shimmer that rippled above the vortex, dancing back and forth.
Humans looking at it might comment about how ‘cool’ the phenomena was.
To those who understood and recognized what they were seeing and feeling, it signaled something beautiful, something dangerous, something that had the potential to decimate everything within hundreds of miles around it.
The vortex wasn’t for the clumsy masses. It was a tool that could grant powers to eclipse the sun and alter the very fabric of time. Again, I marveled at how easy it was for us to breach security, further proof of how arrogant the council had been. I’d done my research and asked around about past attempts in taking possession of the coveted spot.
Not many people had ever managed to stand where I was. The last known attack had been over one hundred and fifty years ago, and the death toll had been astronomical.
“Like taking candy from a baby,” I gloated softly, approaching the shimmering field that surrounded the source, my hands stretched out tentatively.
“Don’t get to cocky, Amber,” Helena snapped, ignoring the body I was housed in and calling me by my true name. “Getting in isn’t the hard part. It’s being able to wield magic strong enough to break open the vortex. It’s a formidable power, one that will fight relentlessly to maintain its balanced existence. One wrong move or word spoken during the ritual and it will destroy us.”
Her warning caught my attention instantly. “Why am I just hearing about this now? You never said any of this.”
“Because, young wolf, it doesn’t matter. I have every confidence that I will be able to subdue it and bring it under my control.”
“Under your Master’s control, right?” I corrected. From what I had been told, the vortex was a pivotal part of his plan. Once he was able to come forth and make his presence known, he’d harness the untapped potential, here, and the world would be his. Helena had confided to me once, while we were driving to complete a task, that he was unlike anyone she’d ever known and what an honor it was to prepare the way for him. Most times she was pretty tight-lipped about him, but not that night.
I’d asked her why he didn’t just do it himself and she’d responded that he was too important to simply risk. There were so many variables in the plan, chances for failure or exposure. To me, it made us sound expendable, but I hadn’t let that prevent me from being a team player. One of those variables had resulted in my death, effectively keeping me from Mason; so, if keeping the Master safe and doing the grunt work ourselves brought me back from the dead, I hoped the Master was sipping on cool iced tea wherever he was watching from.
Let him wait. A victory for him was ultimately a victory for all of us.
“Correct. Now, stand back and make sure we don’t have any unexpected interruptions.” Dismissing me with a flick of her hand, Helena began setting up the ritual. Her brusque tone rankled a little, reminding me of all the others who’d thought they could talk to me like I was beneath them. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, however, considering what she was about to perform.
Right now, she was the means to an end. She could treat me like shit and I’d brush it off.
We were too close to getting everything we wanted and then some.
Taking up a position by the door, so I could see if anyone entered the security room whilst having a full view of Helena, I folded my arms and watched.
How you doing in there, bitch? I taunted Darcy, grinning when I didn’t sense her quick response. She was rapidly fading away and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was barely holding on by threads.
Slow as it was, disappointment filled me when I heard her soft voice. Still here.
Not for much longer, I fired back.
Mason knows. He’s coming for you, Amber. All this . . . Her words echoed quietly in my mind. All this will be for nothing. He will never be yours.
Even as she died, Darcy mocked me.
I wasn’t going to let her ruin this moment. Clenching my jaw and tightening my fists, I pushed her back into the shadows. Helena had stopped moving about and stood with her hands cupped in front of her—her quartz pendant lying in the center with the silvered necklace spilling over the side. She’d shown it to me once, and explained that she used it as a focal point when performing difficult spells. It had the ability to magnify her powers and boost them, making it her most prized possession.
Her lips began moving and the effect was instantaneous. Wind whipped around her, raising her hair to dance in the air. A howl erupted, low at first, building in intensity the longer the witch chanted. I couldn’t hear the words, not being privy to the incantations earlier, but whatever they were, they caused the ground to rumble beneath my feet.
All thoughts of Darcy left, as I stood completely entranced by the scene in front of me. Fissures of light cracked in the visible air, like miniature lighting strikes from nowhere. The rocks encircling the vortex began to jostle, unable to keep their place and order. Helena’s body struggled to stay still as the tremors became more violent and pronounced.
Whatever she was doing was working.
I couldn’t help myself. Stepping forward, my gaze never left her. Her expression was one of pure concentration as sweat formed at her brow, her lips moving over clenched teeth.
She hadn’t been lying about the vortex fighting to defend itself. The witch was engaged in a hard battle for dominance and the magical source was giving her a run for her money. Helena was strong, but as she screwed her eyes shut, her body revealed the pressure she was under. I suddenly knew she wouldn’t be enough.
&nbs
p; Unfortunately, we hadn’t been able to uncover the artifact Zane had moved and hidden. In all our time in Woodside Hollow, we’d found some trinkets that promised success, but testing them had proven the claims false. Helena had declared her confidence in doing it herself, but as I watched on in amazement, her clothes began shredding from her body, revealing long, large, bloodied welts on her skin.
My fangs punched out through my gums at the scent. Power—she was bursting with it. My mouth watered, temptation screaming for me to take what was before me. I dug deep and began strategizing my own inner battle.
Blood. It was everything. It owned me, but not this time. I refused to submit to my thirst. Refused to let it reduce all my hopes and dreams to rubble.
If I moved, even the slightest bit, I would rip Helena’s throat out. Not because I needed the blood, but because the dark seductive whisperings that beckoned me.
Helena’s scream dragged me from my own private hell as her head fell back and I caught glimpse of her agony. The vortex was slowly tearing her apart, the welts on her arms growing wider and deeper.
“Helena!” I yelled, panic setting in as I saw my chances to be with Mason dying.
“Don’t move!” She replied. “I can finish this!”
But even I knew this was over. She just wasn’t strong enough. “If you don’t stop, you’ll die!” I didn’t add that I needed her alive. She was my only connection to the Master and my way out of this body and into one I could appreciate.
“If I must sacrifice so he can live, so be it!”
In the next moment, the vortex bitch-slapped Helena in one, final demonstration of authority and sent her flying through the air before smashing her hard against the far wall. Immediately, it flashed brightly and returned to its unimpressive former state. If I hadn’t witnessed it for myself, I’d have said it was impossible.
Rushing over to the witch, the call of her blood hit me again, like a freight train. She was a mess and our task a failure. I had no idea how she was going to explain this.
“Give me your wrist, now!” She ordered, her voice strangely forceful. “Quickly, before it’s too late.”
Darkness Unleashed Page 4
