by Juniper Hart
Paul laughed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Not with him. He’s with that gorgeous chick, Simone, but I think that she’s a friend of theirs. I’ve seen her and Simone out together.”
Toby’s head cocked to the side, and he stared at the man, half-awed, half-doubtful. The more he thought about it, the more he envisioned the tall, dark-haired woman from the club that night—the more he recalled how familiar she had been to him.
That’s why I thought I knew her. She’s Theo Veriday’s mate. How did I not put two and two together before? Toby wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry in that moment, and he inhaled sharply.
“Were Veriday and his mate—his girlfriend here tonight?” he demanded, wracking his brain for the guest list. He couldn’t remember if the bear councilman had been on it.
Paul shook his head. “Not that I saw, but you were there for the turn out. It was huge.”
But Toby was no longer listening to Paul. He finally had a clue of where to look for Sierra.
It’s a lead, he thought. Sierra has remained off the radar for this long. It’s worth a shot, and I’ll take anything at this point. Even if this means I have to speak to the Council about her.
“I’ll have security look into it,” Toby promised, reaching for his phone to text Shane.
“Sure. Have a good night, boss. I hope it all works out. You could use a break.”
“Oh, it will. There’s no doubt in my mind that it will—and then I’ll have my break.” He waited for Paul to leave the ballroom before continuing his text to Shane.
Have you found them? he messaged. Instantly, the message bubbles appeared, and Toby waited impatiently for Shane’s double thumbs to finish typing.
After what seemed like five minutes, he replied.
Have Rowan. Bringing her to you now.
Toby gritted his teeth and rose, a combination of dread and excitement overcoming him. Would Rowan give up the book and Sierra, or were they already too late?
He would need to meet them in the cellar, where the high priestess’ screams could not be heard when he started applying pressure. There would be no mercy for the double-crossing witch, but before he was done with her, she would tell him everything he wanted to know—about Helios and Sierra.
A spark of morbid curiosity shot through him, and Toby moved toward the staff hallway, stealing down into the basement of the mansion.
In the wine cellar, he waited, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. A small plan was formulating in his mind, a way to rid himself of all problems Helios-related once and for all.
He heard the creak of the basement door. They’re here.
A moment later, Shane dragged the high priestess inside the dank room, her clear blue eyes unusually clouded with fear.
“Tobias!” she gasped. “Whatever you think I did, I assure you, you have the—”
“Where is the Chasm, Rowan?” Toby interjected flatly. “I’m not here to play with you. I’m not in a good mood, and to be frank, I’m bloody exhausted.”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she protested, but even without his inherent sixth sense, the lie was obvious on her face. “Y-you’re missing the Chasm of Purity? That’s terrible!”
She used to be a better liar, Toby mused. She’s too terrified to keep it together right now.
“I’m going to give you one chance to tell me where the book is,” he explained conversationally. “Then I am going to start by removing those ridiculously long fingernails, one by one.”
“I swear I don’t have it! He tore my place apart! He knows it’s not there!”
Disappointment and fury filled him. So, Shane had been right; Helios was looking for the Chasm.
“Did you give it to Helios already?”
“No!” she choked. “I never had it, Toby, I promise!”
“Shane, remove the fingernails on her right hand.”
She immediately gave up the fight before Shane could touch her.
“Sierra Collingwood!” she squealed. “She used to work for me, but she went rogue, got power hungry—”
“Let me guess,” Toby interjected smoothly. “She teamed up with Helios and decided to rob me of the book?”
“Yes!” she screeched excitedly. “That’s exactly what happened! I can help you find her! She has a house in Hawthorne Hills. I’ll give you the address!”
Toby glanced up at Shane, nodding as the high priestess spouted the location.
“Go find her,” he instructed his henchman.
“Please, Toby! If I had known what she had planned, I would never have let her do it!”
“Tell me, Rowan, how did Sierra Collingwood even know how to find the book in the first place?” The priestess’s mouth parted, but no words came out for a moment, and Toby could see the wheels turning in her head as she fought to come up with an answer. “Well?”
“I have no idea! She’s a Collingwood! They are notoriously deceptive.”
Toby almost laughed. “You’re a Collingwood.”
Rowan balked at the fact that he had remembered. Instantly, she looked down at her hands, and Toby wondered if she was trying to conjure a spell. She wouldn’t be able to—not down there in the cellar. It was an Enchanted Faraday cage. No magic to be had down there. He had purposely designed the area to keep the Enchanted, and he was the only one with any power when he was within its walls.
“You think I believe for a second that you aren’t behind this?” he hissed.
Rowan’s face paled, and she shook her head vehemently. “I swear! I’m—”
Toby’s snout protruded from his face, exposing his fangs in a fury as he fell onto all fours and covered the short distance between them.
“What did you think would happen, Rowan?” he rasped. “Did you think that you would take the Chasm of Purity and rule the underworld? Did you think that it would be that easy?”
She trembled at his nearness. He could read the fear in her eyes.
“What do you want from me?” she whispered. “I’m sorry! I had no choice! He was going to kill me if I didn’t help him!”
“You are going to take care of Helios for me,” he snarled. “Silently and without a fuss.”
Her mouth gaped, and she reeled back, her slender hands waving as if to ward him away.
“No!” she moaned. “I can’t do that, Toby! How do you expect me to do that? He’s a demon! I’m merely a witch. What if I get caught?”
“You didn’t care if Sierra got caught, did you?” he sneered, his face cracking to expose the razor edge of his fangs. “You were likely going to turn her in after you got what you wanted. You have always been a traitor, Rowan. Selling out your own—that’s a new low, even for you.”
Suddenly, Rowan’s face froze, as if a mask had slipped over her features. The about-face took him aback, and Toby sensed the danger of her next words before they came.
She has something on me… or on Sierra, he realized. What does she know?
“You have no idea, do you?” she whispered, a small smirk formulating on her lips. “Sierra has kept a secret from you for years, and you still think she’s innocent.”
Toby eyed her warily, torn between wanting to strangle the life out of her and listening to whatever stall tactic she was using.
“Rowan, even for a priestess, you are a liar. And that is saying a lot.” He scowled. “You really should quit before any real harm befalls you.”
“All right,” she agreed flippantly, laughing shortly. “If you don’t want to know why Sierra really stole the book from you…” Rowan stared at him, and he felt himself growing angrier.
Don’t let her get under your skin. She’s just trying to get in ahead of this, and it’s too late for her. Her goose is cooked.
“I don’t give a shit why she took it,” he lied.
“No?” she purred. “Why do I feel like you’re the one lying now?”
Toby was not one to strike women or children, but in Rowan’s case, he was almost willing to make an exc
eption. She’s not a woman; she’s Jezebel.
“You have exactly one second to spit out whatever bile you are dying to vomit, and then I fear your fifteen minutes of fame are up.”
When her mouth curved into a smile, Toby felt his blood run cold, her blue eyes shining deviously. “Sierra took the book because she believes there is a spell in it that she needs.”
Toby grunted in annoyance, slowly shifting back into his mortal form. There was no sense in trying to intimidate her now—he had her exactly where he needed her for the time being.
She’s just talking out of her ass. What could Sierra possibly know to do with the Chasm? She can’t use the book—she’s not powerful enough.
“You’re really too much,” he muttered, snorting in disgust.
“She thinks it contains the Shroud of Protection,” Rowan continued quickly, seeing that she was losing her audience.
“And I wonder where she got that idea,” Toby snapped, rolling his eyes in exasperation. Rowan chuckled.
“You’re not asking the bigger question, Toby,” she replied. “The question is, why does sweet Sierra need a Shroud of Protection? What could she possibly want with such a powerful spell?”
That is a good question, he realized, his brow furrowing. He loathed that he was taking her bait.
“What does she need a Shroud for?” he asked begrudgingly.
Rowan’s tongue lolled out to graze her bottom lip, and she took a dramatic pause before answering.
“Rowan…” he growled. “How much longer are you going to drag this out?”
“Her child is sick.”
The words didn’t make sense to Toby, and he stared at her uncomprehendingly. What child? Sierra has a child? He tried to envision any evidence of a child living in the dingy apartment he’d been to in South Park, but he drew a blank. Does the kid live with their father?
A thousand questions sprung to his lips, but only one fell out. “What’s wrong with her child?”
Rowan was beginning to look like the cat who swallowed a canary: her grin was too wide, eyes sparkling deviously. If Helios was looking for a new mate, he wouldn’t have to look far. Rowan was every bit as evil as he was. Gods help them all if they ever teamed up. Toby should do the world a favor and end her right then.
“The child has HID.”
Waves of noise seemed to slide over him, a strange echoing filling his ears as he realized exactly what Rowan was saying. “No. There is no way. She never mentioned a child before, much less a hybrid offspring. You’re lying—again.”
“Am I?” she laughed. “Why do you think she didn’t mention it to you, darling? Maybe she wanted to hide it from you for some reason…” She trailed off, her blonde brows rising with amusement. “I wonder why she would want to keep that from you? Aren’t you friends? Don’t you have some kind of history?”
“You’re just stirring the pot as always,” Toby snarled, although his blood turned to ice. What the hell was she suggesting? “Stop it.”
“There is none so blind as he who refuses to see,” Rowan intoned, and for the first time since her arrival in the cellar, Toby found himself hearing the truth in her words. Sierra hadn’t told him about her hybrid child, but that didn’t mean anything. They had only just met. There hadn’t been time for her to disclose her life story to him.
“How…” He inhaled and steeled himself before trying again. “How old is the child?”
Rowan’s smile didn’t falter. “If I had to guess, I would say she’s not much older than two, but she does look much smaller, what with the sickness. Such a pity.”
There was no sympathy in her tone whatsoever, and color drained out of Toby’s face as he fully understood the implication of what was being said. If the child was two, she could be his.
“You’re lying.” He said the words again, but even Toby could hear the lack of conviction in his own words.
“About what? The girl’s name is Aurora. She looks just like her mother save for the curls, which remind me of someone else…”
Toby’s head jerked back up, and he gaped at her. “She has HID and needs a Shroud of Protection?”
“It’s true,” Rowan sighed. “But I’m afraid it’s too late for her now.”
Toby’s eyes widened, and he gnashed his brilliant teeth.
“What?” he hissed. “Why is it too late? What did you do?”
“Me? I didn’t do anything! I’m many things, Tobias, but I would never harm a child.”
“Then what are you saying?” Toby spat, his face inches from hers.
Rowan shrugged, even though the fear in her eyes was evident again. “She’s been sick for weeks, Tobias. A babe so small with HID? Her chances aren’t good. My vision says she’ll be dead by sun-up in a few hours.”
11
“Boss, I really wish you’d let me drive,” Shane mumbled, his hands pressed against the dashboard as the car flew through the city. “You shouldn’t be handling heavy machinery in your state of mind.”
Tobias ignored him, weaving the Tesla in and out of traffic until he found himself before the address that Rowan had finally disclosed.
“You need to get on the line with Theo Veriday and find out where I can find his mate,” Toby growled, leaping from the car. “Don’t give up until you know where Simone Ruiz can be found.”
“Boss, I should go with you!” Shane cried after him. “I could—”
The door slammed, blocking out Shane’s last words, and Toby flew toward the modest house in Hawthorne Hills, his heart racing with anticipation.
Damn Helios, and damn Rowan both to the pits of hell. How can any Enchanted being be so callous? Swallowing the bile forming in his throat, he bounced up the bare, wooden steps and pounded on the door.
“Sierra!” he yelled. “Sierra, open the damned door!” There was no response from inside, and a quick survey of the windows showed that the house was dark. “Sierra!” Toby called again. “I’m not angry. Just open the door! I want to see the girl! I can help her!”
Only silence met his words, and without considering the repercussions of his actions, he kicked open the front door, his body shifting under the stress. He didn’t bother to check who might be observing him from the street as he ambled forward on all fours, his snout raised into the air as he tried to detect any signs of life inside.
The house was small, a smattering of toddler toys strewn about. The furniture was cheap but well kept, and the building was clean.
She’s been living here, so close, this entire time, he thought mournfully, pausing by the refrigerator to look at a picture of Sierra and her daughter. His heart skipped as his eyes took in the lines of her delicate face, his gaze shifting back and forth between the duo, unsure of what to feel but love for both. Dammit, Sierra. Why didn’t you tell me?
A low growl formed in his throat, his ears twitching when he smelled another, his pulse quickening. Someone else was in the house.
“Who’s there?” he hissed. “Show yourself at once!”
There was no movement, no indication that he shared the tiny space with anyone else, but Toby had been alive long enough to know to trust his gut. He fell back onto his haunches, teeth gleaming in the darkness, and suddenly, he froze.
“Well, well, well,” Helios chuckled, stepping from the shadows. “Just the man I was hoping to see.”
“You!” Toby spat. “What are you doing here, Helios?”
“Probably the same thing you are,” the demon replied easily, sauntering forward. “No need for theatrics, Tobias. I’m not going to attack you… yet.” He gestured at the bear, who reluctantly morphed back into his mortal frame but kept his distance. “She’s not here,” Helios announced.
“I can see that,” Toby snapped, glowering. “Where is she?”
“Did Rowan rat me out?” Helios asked conversationally, ignoring his question. “Never trust a priestess. They’re trouble, you know? And a Collingwood priestess?” He let out a low whistle. “Worst of the bunch. I should have known bet
ter. If I’d known your girl was a Collingwood, I probably wouldn’t have allowed her to go for it, but I guess that’s the reason she did—they’re warrior witches. Always have been. Then again, that ups the risk of being double-crossed, doesn’t it?”
“You’re not getting the Chasm, Helios,” Toby growled. “And I need to find Sierra. I don’t have time for this.”
Helios paused, his charming grin fading as he bared his teeth.
“Are you going to pretend that you don’t owe me something?” he hissed. “Are you going to pretend this is really about the Chasm of Purity?” Tension snaked through Toby’s body as the demon advanced. “You stole the underworld from me!” Helios cried. “You owe me a thousand years’ worth of profits!”
Toby’s mouth parted, and a short laugh escaped.
“You are the most hunted creature on the planet right now!” he retorted. “My father took over the underworld when you ran away with your tail between your legs!”
Fury sparked through Helios’ eyes, and he towered over Toby, but the bear didn’t falter.
“What did you hope to gain by stealing the Chasm, Helios? You are so far out of the loop, you wouldn’t know what to do with the underworld if you had it again.”
Though Helios’ expression didn’t change, Toby read something in his eyes that told him a lot. He doesn’t want the underworld. He wants something else. He stole the Chasm as leverage.
“Maybe you’re right,” Helios conceded abruptly. “I couldn’t stick around and run things, anyway, even if I wanted to.”
“Helios, I don’t have time for your games. Tell me what you want so I can get out of here.”
The demon cocked his head to the side and peered speculatively at him. “Is it the book you’re itching to find, or the girl?”
“Helios…” Toby was losing more patience by the minute. “What the hell do you want?”
“A million dollars,” the demon said smugly. “I want…” He trailed off, a perplexed look on his face, as if he’d lost his train of thought.
“A million dollars?” Toby almost scoffed at the number. “Fine. Where do you want it transferred? I’ll have Shane set it up now.”