Her father had sent her an email.
Hey, sweetheart,
The police think they have a new lead on the missing person case. They think they are being taken to the old abandoned estate set to be redeveloped in the next few weeks. We’ll investigate further in the morning.
Dad.
Ava groaned. That was the location of the abandoned Forest Clan town lair. If her father or the police went there, they would surely know something not ‘normal’ was going on in the town. And that would be the last thing any of them wanted.
They couldn’t risk it.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, weighing up her options. She could call the Van Wildens and let them know her father and the sheriff were going to investigate the old town lair. Or she could go herself and cover up anything out of the ordinary. Ava decided to go with option two. The Van Wildens were too occupied with searching for Morgana. They wouldn’t want to be bothered by something like this. This was something Ava could do for them.
Even though Oscar had said to remain in the safety of her apartment, she shrugged it off and walked over to her wardrobe to change into black leggings and a sweater. She tied her blonde hair back into a low bun at the nape of her neck and placed a black woolen slouchy beanie on top. She looked at herself in the mirror. She would have looked cooler if it were a beret.
She shook her head and grabbed her runners from the bottom of the closet. Entering the living room, she grabbed her trusty notepad and pen, slipping them into the sweater pocket. You never knew when you’d need to write something down. Then she grabbed her phone and keys.
She parked her car in an alley a block away from the old town lair. She couldn’t run all over the place like the others. She killed the engine and climbed out.
She breathed deeply. I’m going to be fine. The arrival of the Van Wildens had brought with them a wealth of knowledge, one being wolfsbane, a sort of apotropaic—a dangerous substance to human-turned vampires. When the young women started being taken Morgana has supplied her with the apotropaic. Much to Alastor’s chagrin. Before Ava had left the house, she had mixed it in with her strawberry lotion and slathered it on her skin. That way she might be able to get away.
Besides, she was too old for them to take her anyway. The Forest Clan had been kidnapping teenagers and college-age humans. And there shouldn’t be any vampires around here anyway. Between the Forest Clan abandoning this lair and Oscar’s rampage after finding Brutus’ dead body, the town had been void of vampires for the last two nights.
She should be safe.
***
Ragnorok stood back, admiring the halfling’s slumped form. Truly it was a work of art. The silver twisted around her body contrasting against the rivers of red trickling down her limbs and torso. Some had even matted in her dark hair.
Truly magnificent.
“My Lord,” Cedric spoke behind him.
A muscle in his cheek twitched. “What now?” How dare he be interrupted his moment of satisfaction. He turned around to face his new second-in-command. Svetlana would have left him be before coming to address him.
Cedric held that rectangular device in his hand. “Forgive me…”
Good, he was learning.
“… but you wanted to know of the Irish Daywalker’s mate’s movements at all times.”
“And?”
“She’s at the old lair location. And she’s alone.”
Stupid girl. But another win for them.
Ragnorok smiled. “I think I’ll also attend this rather special extraction.”
Chapter Thirty
Ava tiptoed her way over to the lair using the torch app on her phone.
She had never really been out here with the others, so the sight of the demolished house was shocking to take in. Large chunks of brick and mortar lay scattered everywhere, leaving large gaping holes in the walls of the house. If she hadn’t been receiving regular updates and knew it was Oscar who had caused the destruction, she would have thought the place had been hit with a wrecking ball. Well, this would save the demolishers some effort and time.
Sometimes she wondered, despite what she’d said to Alastor the other night, what it would be like to have a vampire’s strength and speed. She worked out at the gym regularly, so she was quite fit, but the thought of all that power still intrigued her.
Ava stilled. She groaned inward at her stupidity. She was human and alone investigating the abandoned town lair in the middle of the night. It was like one of the scary movies she made Alastor watch so she could gauge his reaction as fact or fiction. Even though she couldn’t sense or hear the vampires as the others could, she’d been around them long enough to know when they were approaching her. Maybe it was deeply instinctual—prey sensing the danger of a predator nearby.
And like life imitating art, they crept out of the shadows stalking toward her, just like how the movies portrayed them as monsters of the night. Their leader, with his dead gray eyes, was the most evil-looking of them all.
Ragnorok smiled as he stepped toward her. “Well, this is another lucky break for me. I was wondering when I’d be able to get my hands on you.”
“Why, what do you want with me?” she stammered, taking small steps back.
“Oh, little human, I’ve been watching you for a while now.”
She quickly turned and ran knowing they would catch her. But she wasn’t going to make it easy for them. She pulled out her phone and dialed Alastor.
“Ava, love?” That rich Irish accent she loved so much coming from the other end.
“Alastor,” she huffed into the phone, snarls behind her made her turn her head. They were almost upon her. “They’re coming for me.”
***
The line went dead. It took Alastor a second for his brain to register what was occurring. “Aye, love?” he shouted into the phone, his stomach tightening. The others turned to look at him, questions in their eyes.
“Jaysus feckin’ Christ. The bastards are takin’ Ava!” he roared, springing from his chair and racing toward the front door.
“Alastor, stop!” Oscar commanded. Alastor skidded across the wooden floors trying to gain traction. No matter how determined he was to save Ava, it was nigh impossible to ignore the authority in the voice of the Elder.
“Arm yourself before you charge off recklessly.”
Alastor turned and arched an eyebrow at Oscar.
“Do as I say and not what I did,” Oscar grumbled standing up. “And we’re coming with you. Ava is part of this coven. I won’t let her be taken, too.”
Alastor’s face softened.
“Yes.” Vivienne stood. “Let’s stop him from taking another of my family members.”
Alastor’s chin dipped to his chest. “Aye, thank ye both.”
Gareth clapped a hand on his shoulder. “We’re each other’s coven, remember? Where you go, I go.”
Vivienne placed her hand on Alastor’s other shoulder. “All of us.”
Alastor nodded. His eyes itched, and he rubbed at them. Vivienne leaned closer to him, dropping her voice, “That’ll be your body trying to shed a tear.” She squeezed his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic smile.
“It bloody hurts.”
“I know.” Her eyes also looked red.
“If you two are done, can we go rescue my friend now? At least we can stop them this time.” Gareth looked away quickly, but Alastor saw his best friend’s eyes had also become red.
He smiled, grateful for each of them in his life and what they were willing to do for his girlfriend. “Aye, let’s go get me girl.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Alastor and the others headed toward Ava’s apartment to search for clues as to where she may have gone.
Her laptop was open on her bed, and the email from her father was still on the screen. Alastor flipped it around to read it.
“Feckin’ hell.” Alastor rubbed his face, and Vivienne gasped reading the screen over his shoulder.
“Where
did she go?” Gareth asked.
“She feckin’ went to the old town lair.”
Oscar closed his eyes. “This is indeed not good news. Not good news at all.”
“We feckin’ need to leave and get over there now!”
***
They ran toward the town lair site.
Alastor couldn’t see Ava anywhere, but there was an abundance of vampires inside the ruins. He rushed forward and ran headlong into a group of vampires emerging who looked startled to see them.
Alastor swung his fist connecting to the closest vampire’s nose, the long sandy-haired youth’s head snapped back, and blood smeared across his face. Alastor grabbed a stake and stabbed the vampire before he could retaliate. He stepped over the fallen vampire, moving onto the next. He could see Gareth out of the corner of his eye, jumping from foot to foot like a boxer before striking. Oscar was on the other side of him, gripping the back of a vampire’s neck, lifting him into the air before slamming him into the ground and staking him there.
Vivienne was following behind them and lighting the stakes causing each one to combust into ash. “Boys, make sure you stake then set them on fire.” She shook her head.
Alastor smiled at the sight of his coven having his back. There must have been something scary about his smile as the vampire in front of him put up his hand and looked around wildly, backing away. Alastor’s grin grew wider as he drew a stake from his holster advancing toward him. “Where’s me girl?”
The vampire pointed behind his finger to a spot behind Alastor.
“I’d cease your activities if I were you.” The cold voice and familiar presence of Ragnorok turned their attention away from the skirmish.
He stood with his arm wrapped around a whimpering blonde’s torso. His fangs hovering inches from her collarbone, a painful grimace on his face. The faint whiff of artificial strawberries mixed with wolfsbane would explain why.
“Ava!” he cried, racing toward them.
“Uh ah uh,” Ragnorok taunted, cocking a finger at him.
Stakes sailed past him, embedding themselves into Alastor’s shoulders, chest, and stomach, missing his heart by a mere inch. He grunted, his movements sluggish as he tried to walk toward his love, his arm stretched out to her.
“Nice touch, isn’t it? I picked that up from watching the half-breed.”
“Alastor!” Both Vivienne and Gareth shouted out at the same time. Screams rent the air as more stakes flew around him, hitting his friends.
Oscar flew past him, stakes sticking out of him like a pin cushion. “Let her go,” he roared.
“Give her back,” Alastor cried, leaning toward them.
Ragnorok tilted his head. “Why do you even care? She’s only human.”
“Not to us, she isn’t,” Oscar growled. Ava let out a tearful sob at his words, a tear trickled out of her left eye. The Primus was but a foot away from reaching Ava.
Ragnorok just smiled as another stake flew forward.
Alastor slumped forward on his knees, still reaching out for Ava as he caught the scent of a single stake sailing toward Oscar.
The Elder grunted, stopping him in his tracks as it pierced his gut.
Hawthorn.
Shit, they knew.
“Bring the others,” Ragnorok told them. “I’ll be waiting.”
Alastor looked up, his vision blurring as Ragnorok turned away with Ava, then everything went dark.
***
Alastor bolted upright, “Ava!”
Looking around, he was in the guestroom of the Van Wilden’s place. Vivienne was perched on the side of the bed.
“Where is she?” He tore the bed covers off his body. Vivienne placed a hand on his shoulder, stilling his movements.
“Most likely the same place they have Morgana.”
“We need to find them.”
“And we will, Alastor. But you need to build your strength back up. You were one stake away from being pierced in the heart. You and Oscar were riddled with them. Even Gareth copped a few. It took all my strength to go back and forth carrying you all back to the house.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled.
Vivienne gave him a small smile and passed him a large stein of blood. “Drink this up, and we’ll make plans to find them.”
“Aye.” Alastor took the blood and swallowed a large mouthful. “Where’s the boy?”
“Still recovering.”
“And how’s Mr. V? That last stake missed his heart, but I was sure it was hawthorn.”
“It was, but he has recovered. He heals faster than the rest of us, being so old.”
Despite the dire situation, Alastor gave a small chuckle.
“It only kills them when it’s through the heart. He was just poisoned.”
“Where’s he now?”
“Giving Ohana’s dummy a workout.”
Alastor winced. “That poor training dummy ain’t going to last much longer at this rate.” It wasn’t too long ago he was taking his anger about Mariza out on that dummy.
Vivienne laughed quietly. “If you’re feeling better, then please go check on Gareth. I’m going to stop Oscar and get him to drink something.”
“Aye, that I can do.”
“We’ll get her back, Alastor,” Vivienne said fiercely, “Both of them. Alive.”
“Aye.”
Vivienne gave him a small nod before leaving the room.
Alastor finished the rest of his blood before setting the glass down on the bedside table. His strength was returning. Good. He swung his legs over to the side of the bed, his head snapping up when he heard groans of agony coming from Morgana’s bedroom.
Gareth.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Gareth was stumbling around in the dark calling out for her.
“I’m here, Gareth.” Her voice floated over to him.
“Where?”
“Here.”
“But I can’t see you.”
Morgana materialized in front of his face, her body fuzzy around the edges like she was a ghost.
“I’m here,” she said, tapping on his heart. “Right where I’ve always been.” Her face hovered closer. “Feel where I am.”
His body began writhing with pain. It was like he was on fire with blood pouring out of his skin.
In the distance, he heard a male voice calling out to him.
“Morgana,” he cried.
“That’s where I am, Gareth. Follow the pain.”
Morgana disappeared, but her voice remained. “Come find me where the wild rose stood.”
***
Morgana lifted her head with as much strength as she could muster. All the Forest vampires were gone, except for a single vampire standing before her, the edges around him looked blurry.
“Gareth?”
“I’m here, my love. Hang in there.” He held her head in his hands, but his touch didn’t feel solid. “Remember to keep the bond open. I’m coming for you.”
Then he faded into the air, and Morgana slumped forward.
There was no one there.
No one was coming for her.
Once again, Morgana was on her own.
***
Gareth’s shoulders were being shaken, and he bolted upright almost headbutting Alastor who was kneeling on the bed, his hands gripping Gareth’s shoulders.
“Bloody hell. Ye scared the fuckin’ shit out of me,” Alastor shouted.
“Morgana,” Gareth rasped, looking wildly at his best friend. He’d been wrong. He’d been trying to find her through the bond by feeling her love, happier emotions, even anger. He had never considered feeling for her pain. Whatever Ragnorok was doing to her, she was in a lot of pain. He concentrated on finding her. And once again, his body convulsed with the same pain that radiated throughout her body. She was screaming in agony. Gareth was screaming.
The door flew open, and Oscar strode in with Vivienne at his heels.
“He just keeps convulsing,” he could hear Alastor saying.
Gareth could feel Morgana’s pain like her flesh was being torn apart. This one burned through to her bones. He’d felt something similar before. He just couldn’t quite place where.
“Gareth.” Oscar stood over him, holding his body still.
“What’s going on?” Vivienne sounded concerned.
“Morgana.” The cry ripped from his mouth, and his body flopped back onto the mattress.
“Jaysus Christ.”
Gareth tried to sit up with Alastor’s help. He looked wildly around at them. “I know where they are.”
***
Moments later, Gareth sat at the kitchen island, a large glass of blood in his hands. Ironically, this is where he and Morgana had first discovered they had a bond. Now he was using it to find her.
“He’s torturing her,” Gareth whispered. “I could feel her pain.”
Vivienne gasped, her hand going to her chest.
“Tell me where they are, son?” Oscar placed his hand on his shoulder.
“I kept trying to feel her good feelings,” Gareth mumbled. “But she told me to feel for her pain instead. She said to find them where the wild roses stood.” He looked up meeting Vivienne’s eyes—a much lighter shade of blue than his, but now wide with recognition.
They all knew the spot—where Mariza had taken Vivienne to fight her to the death. Where Alastor had thought he’d killed Mariza.
“Feckin’ hell,” the Irish vampire muttered.
Oscar withdrew his hand and sat back on a vacant stool, looking stumped. “Back to where the cage of wild rose was?”
“Yes.”
Oscar pulled out his phone, finger swiping over the screen. “I’m calling for backup.”
“Who?” Vivienne asked, clutching at the front of her shirt.
The Van Wilden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3 Page 51
