Chapter 13
Bonnie rolled her head around on her neck as if getting ready for the fight of her life. It was ridiculous, but she felt like she needed to be relaxed again. Man, dealing with her asshole of a father was exhausting. She watched as Lacey looked away from the computer, then around the room. Viktor remained vigilant beside her, as if to protect her.
“I’m turning on the audio,” she warned everyone, then looked at Bonnie. “You ready?”
“No,” Bonnie said, then grinned. “But go for it.”
The sound of the audio thumping to life sent Bonnie’s heart racing. She had a feeling this was it, and steeled herself.
“Yo!” Bonnie said loudly, just as she took a step closer to the computer.
“I still have doubts you are from my sperm.” Orjyll’s voice came over the speakers. “Your vocabulary is barbaric.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes. “Whatevs,” she responded, making damn sure her vocab was not to his liking. “So finally worked up the nerve to talk to me, huh? Where ya been hiding? Or maybe you thought your bounty on me worked and you’ve been hiding, not wanting to pay.”
“We had some technical difficulties,” Orjyll admitted, surprising Bonnie. He never admitted to anything closely resembling failure unless… “Wyrick can’t seem to do anything right.” …he blamed someone else.
Bonnie’s gaze shot to Sloan’s, whose eyes narrowed dangerously. She leaned over in his line of vision and shook her head. “Oh, so you haven’t killed him yet? Still finding him useful? Hey, Wyrick. Enjoying the evil side of things? Ya know, when the man, excuse me, the bastard you work with puts a hit on his own daughter, your life isn’t worth shit.”
“You’re a real smartass, aren’t you?” Wyrick’s voice filled the room, making Sloan stand up slowly. Bonnie waved her arms in warning. So yeah, the warlock shot Sloan, but there wasn’t a damn thing—other than threatening him—that Sloan could do in this moment.
“You have no idea, traitor,” Bonnie replied, getting a nod from Sloan. “You’ll get yours, Wyrick. If not from saggy ass, then Sloan, so don’t get too comfortable. I’m really surprised you’re still around. Good old Dad don’t usually keep those more powerful close for long, so you must really be a pussy.”
Okay, Bonnie had to admit she kinda got off on being a bitch. She was damn good at it. But only to those who deserved it. She actually gained a thumbs-up from most of the Warriors in the room. She gave them a proud bow.
“Are you finished?” Orjyll hissed, reminding her of a snake.
“I’m not even close to being finished, Dad.” Every time she called him that, the sarcasm was thick and evident. “You contacted me, so what in the hell do you want this time?”
“Who is there with you, Bonnie?” Orjyll asked, his tone softening, as if asking for a favor.
Okay, this was a good time to find out how much Intel Orjyll was getting about them. Taking a deep breath, she really put her acting cap on and went for it.
“Sorry, guys, but I’m going to name drop,” Bonnie warned everyone, then shook her head when Jinx looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “We got a few Warriors here working the system, Jace and Chase,” she lied.
She wiggled her eyebrows at Jinx, who looked relieved.
“Then we have VC Warriors Deke and Zeke, they’re twins, who really hate you by the way,” Bonnie said, then glanced at Sid and Jared. “You boys want to say something to dipshit?”
“Yeah, fuck you,” Jared said, then glanced at Sid. “What about you, Zeke?”
“You’re a dead motherfucker,” Sid added, gaining a thumbs-up, this time from Bonnie.
“Told you they hated you. Not a shocker there.” Bonnie smiled. “And then we have Pike, Vanessa, and little Kevin, but I don’t think they want to talk.”
The silence in the room was deafening as Bonnie held her breath and waited for Orjyll’s response. She decided to speed it up a notch.
“What? Demon got your tongue?” Bonnie added, and knew his response was going to come quick and filled with evilness directed right at her.
“You think you’re clever don’t you, bitch,” Orjyll growled, the threat in his voice clear, making Bishop come even closer to her.
“Where’s the kid, Orjyll?” Bonnie demanded, now done with the games.
“Ask Pike.” He chuckled as if he just pulled one over on them, but boy oh boy, was he wrong. Her gaze met Bishop’s briefly. Orjyll just gave his hand away. Pike was definitely a plant, and obviously the only plant. He also didn’t know Pike was dead.
“I’d have to go to hell to do that since the asshole is dead as in worm food, compliments of a VC Warrior,” Bonnie happily informed him. “Now, where’s the kid?”
“I’ll tell you what, daughter,” Orjyll said after a moment of silence. Well, not complete silence. They all heard a woman’s voice in the background whispering something, but it was garbled. “You for the boy. Easy trade.”
Bonnie felt the tension in the room explode, the man beside her ready to say something, but Bonnie stopped Bishop. “Name the time and place, asshole. It’s time I put a stop to you, and I’m more than ready.”
“Oh, but baby girl. Momma didn’t will her powers to you,” Orjyll said, then laughed. “That must really make you feel like nothing. Your own mother willed her powers to someone else and not her own daughter. You’re pathetic, Bonnie, and so was your mother.”
“Time and place.” Bonnie kept all emotion out of her voice. “Or are you too afraid to face me?”
“I’ll get back to you on that,” Orjyll said, then chuckled again. “I’m sure the Warriors are trying to trace this, so I need to be going just in case the mighty Warriors have broken the dark web’s deep secrets, but I will stay in touch.”
“You do that, Orjyll,” Ryker said as he walked into the room. “And how about asking for me next time instead of your daughter.”
Bonnie looked up at Ryker in shock, but he was focused on the computer where Orjyll’s voice echoed from. What in the hell was he doing? She grabbed his arm to shut him up, but he paid her no mind.
“Ryker!” Orjyll’s voice said loudly, filling the room, and Bonnie actually heard a small shake in his tone. Holy shit.
“In the flesh,” Ryker said, hatred dripping from every word. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you real soon.”
“Looking forward to it,” Orjyll said quickly, sending shock through Bonnie. Orjyll legit sounded a little frightened. Who the hell was this guy? “And, Bonnie, you should be careful who you hang out with. Bet you haven’t told everyone your story now, have you, Ryker?”
Orjyll’s laughter was evil and loud before it was cut off. Bonnie glanced over at Jinx and Lacey, who were once again frantically typing. It wasn’t until Jinx stood up cursing that she knew they were off audio.
“What in the hell are you doing?” Bonnie slammed her hand on her hip, glaring up at Ryker. “I was trying to get him to tell me where the kid was, dammit.”
“He wasn’t going to tell you anything,” Ryker growled at her, then cleared his voice. “But I will find him and kill him.”
“Oh, is that so?” Bonnie snorted, pissed that this guy just ruined her plan.
“We didn’t get a trace, but that’s not surprising. I would have been shocked as shit if we had,” Jinx announced, before taking stock of the tension in the room and quickly sitting down and shutting up.
“And how do you plan on doing that when I’m the one who will be killing saggy ass?” Bonnie asked, knowing she was going to have to announce her plan and soon.
This time a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Why do you call him that?”
“Do you even know how old the asshole is?” Bonnie snorted. “Believe me, when he doesn’t have anyone to do his magic-of-youth crap, he looks like the Crypt Keeper.”
“So let me ask you the same question, Bonnie Grail.” Ryker cocked his eyebrow at her. “How are you going to kill him when you don’t have your mother’s powers?”
Okay, here it was. It was time for her grand plan. Glancing at Bishop, she shrugged then looked back at Ryker. “I’m taking her powers back from Kira.”
Ryker laughed, then shook his head. Bishop and the rest of the Warriors started talking at once.
“You got a death wish?” Ryker said above the noise.
“No, but I can control it and Kira is having a hard time, and we’re running out of time. While we run around like fools trying to find him, he is growing his army. You can believe that. If we wait too long, it may be an army we can’t beat.” Bonnie didn’t want to get into the details with everyone around. Bishop wasn’t going to like it, neither would the other Warriors. It was dangerous as hell to transfer powers, but she’d do what she had to. And her top priority was to kill her bastard of a father before he won this war and ruled the fucking world. Damn, how fucked up was that?
“If you survive it,” Ryker again warned her, and this time Bishop caught on to it.
“What in the fuck do you mean, if she survives it?” Bishop demanded, his voice harsh with concern.
“When a witch transfers her powers to another witch by force and not by the will of death, it usually doesn’t end well for the witch receiving the powers,” Ryker said, looking from Bishop to Bonnie. “Does it?”
“Only if the witch receiving the powers doesn’t know what she’s doing, which I do know what I’m doing and…,” Bonnie replied, then stopped talking as she stared at Ryker. “Wait a minute. How in the hell do you know about this? Who are you really?”
Ryker smiled, then raised his arms. A breeze started in the room. As his wrist began to twirl, the wind picked up, causing a vortex. Bishop pulled her back, as Jinx jumped up from the chair to run away.
“What the fuck have you gotten me into, Lacey!” Jinx yelled above the roar.
Bonnie looked around to see furniture moving, the Warriors grabbing on to something to keep them on the ground, and Sloan’s angry expression.
“Ryker!” Sloan bellowed. “That’s enough.”
Ryker dropped his arms, and everything stopped, suddenly falling to the ground. “She asked.”
“You’re a warlock,” Bonnie whispered in shock. “A vampire warlock.”
“Actually, I was a warlock first,” Ryker said, his eyes growing black. “And then I met Orjyll. I remember you, Bonnie Grail.”
Bonnie’s mind whirled as she tried to place him, but couldn’t. So many people have been in and out of her life, she just couldn’t— Oh, Goddess, she did remember him. “I do remember,” she whispered, her hand going to her mouth. “I watched you die.”
“Yes, you did.” Ryker leaned toward her, but Bishop pushed her behind him, putting himself between the threat. “Don’t worry. I’m not here for her.”
“That would be the biggest mistake of your life if you were.” Bishop growled the warning, taking a threatening step forward.
Bonnie peeked around Bishop. “I tried to save you.”
“And that’s why you live,” Ryker shot back, just before Bishop’s fist caught him under the chin. “Whoa, I’m here to help. Not harm her. She’s the reason I’m here. To pay back a debt.” Ryker worked his jaw back and forth.
“Holy fuck, I think I just dropped a stink pickle,” Jinx whispered, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Jesus.” Sid slammed his hand on his forehead. “I can’t handle another one like Steve.”
Chapter 14
Bishop felt a rage he had never felt before. For this man to even think he had the power over whether Bonnie lived or died set his blood boiling. Viktor held him back, barely.
“If you think you have the power to touch her, you are mistaken,” Bishop roared, his eyes narrowing with warning. “Never threaten her again.”
“I didn’t threaten her,” Ryker said, rubbing his jaw. “Though if I wanted her dead, she’d be dead.”
“Dammit, Ryker,” Sloan bellowed. “Shut the fuck up before I have Viktor let him go.”
“Calm down, brother,” Viktor hissed, then forced Bishop to look at him. “Calm down!”
Bishop pushed Viktor away from him, regaining some control. He then pointed directly at Ryker. “Stay the fuck away from her.”
“You know, ‘her’ is standing right here.” Bonnie stepped between them, her voice shaking with anger. “And ‘her’ can speak for herself.”
Bishop’s gaze snapped toward her. “Bonnie.”
“Bishop,” she shot back, then gave him a narrowed glare before looking back at Ryker. “Who are you to Orjyll?”
Ryker removed his hand from his jaw and actually grinned at her. “You’re smart.”
“Genius, but that’s beside the point,” Bonnie said without missing a beat. “Now stop with the bullshit and answer the question.”
“I was his apprentice before your mother put a binding spell on him,” Ryker answered, his eyes never leaving hers. There were murmurs throughout the room, but Ryker didn’t flinch. “He was the most powerful, and when he accepted me, I didn’t waste time. I was one of many. Everything seemed normal. I was blind to what was going on around me because I was so eager to learn. It wasn’t until other apprentices who weren’t as… loyal, I guess you could say, started to disappear that I started to question what exactly was going on.”
“Questioning anything to do with Orjyll was not a very wise thing to do,” Bonnie replied with a shake of her head.
“Yeah, I realized that the hard way.” Ryker seemed to relax, but Bishop was tense and ready to tear the man’s fucking head off if he made a move toward Bonnie. Even though Bishop listened to every single word, his focus was honed to protect.
“Is that a thing with witches and warlocks?” Jared, who had been unusually quiet, asked. “Being an apprentice?”
“Mostly warlocks,” Bishop answered the question, his eyes never leaving Ryker. “And they usually remain loyal. Isn’t that right, Ryker?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly right,” Ryker responded without delay. “But my loyalty ended the day I learned exactly what that bastard was doing. Only the dark ones remained loyal to his evilness.”
“Did you know my mother?” Bonnie asked, and Bishop noticed the stiffening of her body as she asked that question. It was odd how in tune he was to her and her body language.
“No. I never met her, and I’m sorry for your loss,” Ryker said and sounded sincere. “That happened after I escaped.”
“That’s a lie.” Bonnie frowned, taking a step back from him. “Even though I only saw you once, you were there when I was there.”
“Adam,” Sloan said, and Bishop noticed Sloan didn’t sound concerned at all. Their eyes met. “I know his story. I trust him, or I would never have called him in. Adam’s the only one in this room who can confirm his story.”
“He’s not lying,” Adam responded, coming forward. “So far.”
“Make sure to let me know exactly when he lies,” Bishop ordered Adam.
“You know I will,” Adam replied with a nod.
“You know, I’m about done with your badass attitude.” Ryker’s “nice guy” routine took a turn quickly. “I can easily walk out of here without a second thought.”
Before Bishop could respond, Sloan was in his face. “I’m two seconds away from kicking you out,” Sloan said in warning. “If you can’t control yourself, leave.”
Out of respect to Sloan, Bishop didn’t respond the way he wanted to. Instead, he gave a curt nod to Sloan, who backed off. He’d give Ryker a few more minutes to explain before Bishop went off on him.
“Chill, Bishop,” Viktor hissed quietly toward him. “Hear him out.”
After a few minutes, Ryker glanced away from Bishop to look at Bonnie. “Someone told Orjyll I was asking questions, snooping around. As I said, I wasn’t the only apprentice, and they seemed to be coming up missing. A few I became close with. It didn’t make any sense. If they’d just left, they would have reached out to me, but one day they were there and the next, gone. Their things were left beh
ind. Nothing was taken.”
“Yeah, that happened a lot,” Bonnie agreed with a nod. “I could only imagine where they went, but I was smart enough not to look for trouble, so I remained on course.”
“At that time, my course was to learn my craft from the best. Our courses were much different,” Ryker replied, then his eyes darkened. “That is until I found out exactly what was happening. Then, Bonnie Grail, our course was one and the same.”
“What happened to you?” Bonnie asked. Her voice shook only slightly, and Bishop really wanted to shield her from any more pain but knew that wasn’t possible. She was a strong woman, and if he even tried to intercept anything Ryker was about to say, she would raise all kinds of hell.
Bishop looked from Bonnie to Ryker and actually saw a haunted look followed by regret flash through his eyes before he shielded it. “My powers were stripped, and I was turned into a vampire. What I now know is that Orjyll was trying to use magic to change humans into vampires. That was a fail. At the beginning of his scheme, he had a few vampires he paid handsomely to turn us so he could start his army. He realized that wasn’t working fast enough for him, so he started with the serum.”
“The serum makes changing humans easier and faster,” Bonnie said, more to herself, but everyone heard her. “But it was flawed. Changing humans into half-breeds instead. He used you to find the best way to create his army.”
“Orjyll was not teaching the apprentices coming to him in droves,” Ryker growled, his answer evident. “He was grooming us for his army. Once we were turned and starved of blood, we would do anything in order to feed. Even though the serum was flawed, it fit his purpose because half-breeds were unpredictable, stronger at the making, and quicker to become rogue. At that point, he didn’t care about the serum as long as it produced his army.”
“Goddess,” Bonnie whispered, then shook her head. “That’s what he was doing. I knew it was odd when witches and warlocks would just disappear, and new ones showed up. It was a revolving door. Why didn’t he do that with me?”
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