I shift uncomfortably in my chair. I have bruises all over the place and I don’t have the energy to heal them right now. I don’t think I’ll have the energy or the time to brew my own salves either. Maybe Staci will bring me some without too much of an attitude after our last conversation.
“What happened with the GPS by the way? Were you guys tracking me the whole time?” I ask, rubbing my shoulder. The tracker is still in there. I’m dreading having it removed since I’ll have to actually see a doctor. Growing up with a hedgewitch for a mother, and then stealing the healing magic at a young age meant I haven’t had to see human doctors. I distrust them. Everything they have to do seems kind of barbaric.
“We lost the signal for about thirty minutes,” Zachary answers.
“Shit, I was out for that long?” I ask.
Ivy nods. “You were gone for an hour total. By the time we regained the signal, we were behind and headed in the wrong direction.”
“Well I’m glad I got to be unconscious for all of that,” I say, leaning my head against the back of the chair.
Zachary snorts. “I think we all wanted to be. It was really tense here for a while. I thought Reilly was going to tear the tech’s head off.”
“Leave it to Reilly to threaten random people,” I say with a snort.
“He was very concerned about you,” Zachary says, nudging my chair with his foot.
I shrug. “Yeah, I’m sure he was.”
The door opens and the rest of the team files in. Except for Corinne. My stomach sinks. I want to see her soon, but there hasn’t been time yet, and I’m not sure if Ivy will let me anyhow.
Reilly takes the seat next to me and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I haven’t spoken to him since he interrupted the conversation with Elise, but I’m sure I’ll be questioned about it soon.
“I spoke with the hospital staff a few minutes ago,” Stocke says, taking her usual place at the head of the table. “Corinne is doing well. They expect her to wake up in a couple of days. Right now they have her sedated to allow her magic to continue recovering at a faster pace.”
A murmur of relief spreads around the table. Something in my gut unclenches. Hearing she really will be okay is such a huge relief.
“Where is Martinez being taken?” Reilly asks.
“A maximum security prison back in Texas,” Stocke says. “We’ll continue hunting down every NWR member we can find, and continue looking for any evidence needed to build a case against him, but what we already have is solid. He’s going to be locked up for three lifetimes at least.”
“Are these two still on the team?” Cook asks. He doesn’t look at me, or at Reilly, but his shoulders are held in a tight line and his jaw is clenching and unclenching.
“Olivia and Reilly will be taking a week of leave to attend the Summit, where they will also be reporting on the progress we have made and ensuring that we continue to receive the funding we need to continue,” Stocke says, leaning back in her chair. “So yes, they are still on the team, and they will be rejoining us at our next location.”
Cook glances back at Ivy. She keeps her expression blank, but she does nod. Cook sighs but apparently takes that as acceptance on her part.
Elise is staring at me, the same question on her face that she had a few hours ago when Reilly interrupted our conversation. She’s going to have to keep wondering. I shouldn’t have let slip as much as I did.
“Any other questions or concerns about the future of this team and this assignment?” Stocke looks around the table, challenging anyone else to voice their objections now, or shut up and deal with it.
I look down at my hands and wait. I don’t know if I’m hoping someone else wants us gone, or not. In some ways, it might be easier to not have to do this. I’m not sure what the alternative is though.
“Alright, moving on then,” Stocke says. “We’re headed to Los Angeles next. It has some of the highest NWR activity in the nation. We’ve known for a while that they are not only recruiting, but carrying out protests, and they have recently started attack the local packs there.”
“Openly attacking them?” Elise asks, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table.
“Yes,” Stocke says. “Ambush attacks when there is one or two of them somewhere alone. There have been four deaths so far. Basically assassinations.”
“How are the pack leaders handling it?” Elise asks.
“So far, they’re confining everyone to pack lands as much as possible. When they do leave, it’s in groups of five at a minimum.” Stocke twirls her pen in her fingers. “That’s not sustainable though. These people have jobs, school, and the right to live without constant threat of being murdered.”
“When do we leave?” Hu asks.
“We have early afternoon flights, so in about six hours,” Stocke says. “We’ll go over the rest, including case details and the NWR members we already have identified, in Los Angeles. Everyone go pack and get a few hours of sleep if you can. It’s going to be a long day.”
Everyone stands and gathers their things. The adrenaline of the fight has faded and I can tell everyone else is just as tired as I feel. One thing has been bothering me though.
“The other vampires that had gone missing, were they ever found? Or is no one looking for them now?” I ask.
Stocke sighs heavily. “Their ashes were all mailed to their respective clans.”
My eyes widen. “All of them?”
“Yes,” Stocke confirms. “The day after Ryan was put down.”
“And the werewolves?” I ask.
“Still not officially missing. There is nothing we can do to help them, and no way to justify continuing the investigation if they aren’t reported missing by their packs,” Stocke says, her shoulders slumping.
I put my head in my hands. Martinez just killed them all once he decided they were no longer useful. Or maybe they died while being experimented on or whatever the hell the NWR was doing to them. If the pack leaders would just talk to JHAPI they might be able to save their people from a similar fate, but of course, they won’t.
“I’ll see you back at the hotel room,” Reilly says, putting his hand on my shoulder and startling me out of my thoughts. “I need to speak with Stocke privately.”
“Alright,” I say.
Zachary is already leaving the room, so I jog after him.
“Zach,” I say, jogging after him. “Do you have a little bit to talk? I need a ride back to the hotel, and I want to go over that case with you one last time.”
“Sure,” he says. “It seems like we won’t get much of a chance to work on it for the next couple of weeks.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
I glance back in the room one last time before following Zachary. Reilly is watching me. I’m sure he overheard the conversation. I sigh, that will be yet another thing for him to question me about later.
* * *
Zachary unlocks the hotel room door and I follow him inside. He sets his things down on the desk and I take my usual spot on the end of Elise’s bed.
“I’ve been thinking about the spellbook my mother stole from this coven,” I say, bouncing my leg nervously. The only possible meaning I can glean from the most recent hallucination of my mother is that the book she stole might be important somehow. If there is even any meaning to it at all. Maybe it’s just a nightmare my mind is creating. “Have you found anything about that in the research you’ve done?”
Zachary shakes his head. “The coven deals with so many magical artifacts. Nothing about a spellbook has stood out though.”
“Maybelle sold it, probably for a lot of money. It had to have been to another witch or coven, right?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.
Zachary taps his pen against his mouth. “I don’t know. It’s possible any paranormal could have bought it. Even a human perhaps. People are still trying out magical things hoping that if they just believe it will work for them and then they’ll have magic too. You know, t
he usual romanticized bullshit people talk about.”
I nod. “Still, it would be hard to keep something like that under wraps. And Maybelle managed to buy some really powerful magical items. I thought it was impossible to enchant something to change your appearance like that. The magic never slipped at all. No one had any idea she and Gerard weren’t human.”
“Why is the spellbook important? We might be able to find it, but that doesn’t help us build a case against this coven.”
“No, but it might help us lure them out. Or figure out what exactly they’re trying to do. Maybe even find out who’s protecting them,” I say.
Zachary sighs and steeples his fingers in front of his face, his elbows resting on his knees. “Do you have any idea where to start?”
“I can try to contact Maybelle, but I don’t think she’s going to text back,” I say with a snort.
“You might as well try.”
I pull out my personal phone and realize it’s dead. I haven’t used it for days and apparently haven’t charged it either.
“Do you have a charger?” I ask, waving the black screen at Zachary.
“I think Elise’s phone uses that type of charger. It’s plugged in over there by her bed,” Zachary says, pointing behind me.
I walk over and plug my phone in, then plop back down on the bed to wait.
“It’s still hard to believe we caught him,” I say quietly. “I wish we had killed him so I’d know it’s over.”
“That wouldn’t end this. The NWR only lost one member, the organization isn’t even crippled.”
I shrug. “I know that. It’s just different. The stuff that happened between me and him.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Zachary blurts out. I don’t have to look at him to know he’s got his face buried in his hands.
“No,” I say. Zachary sighs in audible relief. “But I would have. I wanted to before I knew what he was.”
Admitting that out loud makes me feel dirty. I’ve never had great taste in men, but this was more than just being a bad judge of character.
“I’m going to have to start finger-printing guys and have you run a background check or something,” I joke. “Since I seem to attract criminals.”
“And vampires,” Zachary says quietly.
I sit up and shoot him a look over my shoulder. “Vampires?”
Zachary raises both brows and spreads his hands. “Reilly.”
“That is not a thing. I am not sleeping with him,” I say vehemently. My phone is finally at five percent battery. Close enough. I hit the power button.
“Are you sure about that?” Zachary asks.
“I think I’d know if I was having sex with him,” I say slowly.
“I saw the way you danced together at that club,” Zachary scoffs. “Don’t lie to me because you’re trying to spare my feelings or something.”
“What feelings?” I ask. “We’re friends, sort of. If you don’t hate me anymore at least. Why would I—is this what Elise was referring to? Something about how you had a crush on me when I lived with you?”
Zachary stares at me, one hand over his mouth. My phone starts buzzing in my hand from all the messages it couldn’t receive while it was off. I ignore them.
“You—” He pauses and rubs his hands over his face. “You really had no idea?”
I shake my head. “You were, are, like my brother.”
“Good to know,” he says, standing and walking off to the bathroom.
I can’t run after him to comfort him if I’m the source of his distress, so I stay perched on the side of the bed feeling uncomfortable. I finally look down at my phone. There are six messages from Lydia. Fifteen from Patrick. I dismiss them all.
I do open the email though. There is a deposit for ten thousand dollars from Javier that hit my bank account four days ago. I toss my phone on the bed and put my head in my hands. Not that the money does me any good now. It would have been nice a few months ago, back when I thought I had a chance at a normal future.
“So,” Zachary says, startling me. “I can look into the magical artifacts JHAPI has confiscated, or has any information on, just in case this spellbook has turned up somewhere. Will you contact Gerard and Maybelle?”
He’s standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, face smoothed out to his usual expression. He doesn’t look upset at all, and the only sign of tension is the slight hunch of his shoulders.
“Sure,” I say casually. I can definitely get on board with pretending that conversation never happened. “I’ve also been thinking about what you said about Reilly having connections. I still don’t know if I trust him completely, but if it comes down to it, we might have to see if he can help.”
“Only if you think you can trust him,” Zachary agrees with a nod.
“Speaking of, what do you know about him and his sire?” I ask, picking at the comforter on the bed. “His Sire is going to be taking the council seat that just opened up. Reilly didn’t seem enthused about that.”
Zachary whistles under his breath.
“I’m not sure what to make of Reilly’s reaction, but I know I share the sentiment.” He sits down in the chair again and shakes his head. “Cesare Sangiovanni is a well-known traditionalist.”
My eyes widen. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Nope,” Zachary says. “I was shocked when I found out Reilly was the vampire the council sent to work with JHAPI. Sangiovanni was vocally against JHAPI’s creation from the beginning, the traditionalists don’t want any kind of human oversight. He has only recently shifted to supporting the organization, and then he personally pushed for this mission to take down the NWR. The other two vampires on the council are progressive, they were thrilled to agree.”
I rub my hands together. “I’m supposed to meet him at this Summit thing that Reilly is dragging me to.”
“Be careful,” Zachary says seriously. “He is not the type of person you want to insult.”
“I’m doomed,” I laugh.
Zachary cracks a smile at that too. “I’ll say nice things at your funeral.”
There’s a knock at the door and my senses jump into overdrive. The heartbeat is familiar, and that realization is unsettling.
“I guess it’s time for me to go,” I mutter as I stand and walk to the door.
Reilly doesn’t make any move to enter the room, but he does nod at Zachary over my shoulder.
“Are we leaving tonight or something?” I ask.
“No, tomorrow just after sunset,” Reilly says. “Staci delivered some healing salves to the room and I thought you might want them sooner rather than later.”
“Oh, you brought them?” I ask looking around for a bag or a bulge in his pocket.
“No, they’re in the room. I had to come get you in person because you never got your phone back,” Reilly says.
Of course he didn’t bring them. That would have been too polite. I think he doesn’t like me being alone with Zachary either, probably for the same reason he interrupted that conversation with Elise.
“Thanks for your help,” I say, turning back to face Zachary for a moment. “I’ll see you after the Summit.”
Zachary nods. “Until then.”
I follow Reilly into the hall and to the elevators. He’s silent for a moment, but I can feel the questions brewing in his mind.
“What is Brunson helping you with?” Reilly asks.
“Why are you upset that your sire is being promoted to the council?” I counter. Reilly always wants to play the question game. If that’s how it has to be I might as well try to get whatever information I can in return.
He turns to me and steps closer and closer until I’m pressed against the wall. The elevator arrives, empty, but he ignores it.
“Why do you think I’m upset that my sire will be on the council?”
“Why did you let me feed from you earlier?”
Reilly steps back with a huff. “I’ve told you before, you’re an investment. It woul
d be a waste if I let you die or completely lose control.”
“You were obviously upset when you got that phone call. I don’t think you trust or like your sire, though I don’t know why. I hope it’s because he’s a piece of shit traditionalist and you don’t agree with any of that. I wouldn’t be surprised if you did though,” I say, upholding my end of the bargain. He chose the easy question to answer, and so did I.
The other two questions hang between us, but instead of pressing the issue, Reilly simply turns and hits the elevator call button again. The same doors reopen and he steps onto the elevator, holding the door for me when I hesitate to follow.
“When we get to the Summit, you will do exactly as I say without hesitation,” he says quietly. “Or you’ll find out for yourself why I’m not fond of my sire.”
I swallow uncomfortably. For once, it sounds more like he’s warning me rather than threatening me. I wonder what kind of person has the ability to scare Reilly Walsh.
26
The dress is laid out on my bed like a gift. Any goodwill I might feel at the gesture curdles in my throat. Silk makes for more comfortable shackles, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s just another thing I can’t escape from.
I walk forward and smooth my finger across the deep red hem. The fabric is the color of fresh blood. It’s garish, not something I’d ever pick for myself. I’m going to look like a walking wound. That must be what the vampires like.
My phone buzzes twice, a text flashing on the screen. It’s Reilly, of course.
Be ready in an hour.
I scoff and dismiss the message. My phone buzzes again.
Or I will come dress you myself.
I throw my phone with a growl. It bounces off the headboard and slides across the bed, rumpling the top of the dress. I consider, just for a moment, ripping the dress apart with my bare hands. Instead, I turn on my heel and stomp into the bathroom. Perhaps a quick shower will cool some of my anger.
The bathroom is just as gaudy as Javier's. White marble stretches across the spacious bathroom. The glass shower takes up the entire far wall. The faucets are some shiny gold material that I'm sure isn't real. The sink is an iridescent blue basin set on the white marble vanity, and it is striking. It's the only splash of color in the room. The color shifts and glimmers as I walk past it. There is a stack of plush, white towels next to the shower door on a gold tray.
Blood Magic: Witch’s Bite Series Book Three Page 19