The request pushed the limits of Demaryius’s patience, evidenced by the muscle tic in his cheek, but he cared more for his mate than any perceived rudeness. “Yes.”
The two stared at one another before Demaryius heaved a sigh and set out on a path running perpendicular to the main trail. Two other vampires followed at a discreet distance, and their nostrils twitched as they pulled in scents too.
A text prompted Boaz to reach for his phone, and he spat a curse. “Whoever we’re tracking, it’s not Delacorte.”
“What do you mean?” Demaryius continued to lead, his pace quickening. “I thought he had been positively identified.”
“We made the assumption it was him, based on the belief Cass was the one being targeted.” Boaz shot Chambers a message to dig into any known associates. “Cleaners out in California verified he died in a fire a little over a century ago.”
“Are you wasting my time?” He whipped around, hands balling at his sides. “My mate has only hours.”
“We acted in good faith on the information we discovered.” Boaz texted a warning to the others, which was hard as hell to do while also keeping an eye on Demaryius. “The fact remains a strange vampire attacked my partner and me in the park, where Cass expected to find your mate.”
“Vampires pass through small towns all the time on their way to bigger ones. The poor or exiled have been known to live in forests like animals and prey on hikers or campers. Who’s to say that’s not who we’re tracking?”
“This is the best lead we’ve got,” Boaz said softly. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. I’m sorry. I wish I had more, but I don’t.”
Demaryius hissed under his breath, the words foreign and sharp as his teeth. He marched off in the direction of the road, his guards on his heels. Boaz let his head fall back on his shoulders. He could track the vampire the old-fashioned way, but Demaryius could have done the job twice as fast.
“Pritchard.”
Boaz turned at the sound of his name. “Yeah?”
“I can smell her.” Demaryius scanned the woods ahead of him. “Ari was here.”
Nineteen
We searched until an hour before dawn, but we turned up no evidence Ari had been taken to the lake. Demaryius thought he picked up her scent, but it disappeared between two trees. As if she had never been. His clansmen were quick to throw their weight behind his claims, but neither appeared certain.
I worried it was his imagination, that his senses were playing tricks on him. Desperation worked like that. I knew from experience. So many times, I had wished Hadley well. On every falling star, every penny in a fountain, every four-leaf clover. None of it had saved her, and I had only grown more desperate as the clock ticked down on her life.
Honey had been treated and evacuated, but Demaryius’s people showed up in numbers.
With sunrise an hour away, we called the teams to meet by the Lovers.
“She was here.” Demaryius leaned into a friend’s embrace. “I swear it, Jack.”
“I believe you.” The man stroked his hair. “We’ll find her.” He exchanged worried glances with the two women closest to him. “I swear it.” He guided him away. “The children are worried about their mother. We should go home now, let their father comfort them.”
“None of this makes sense.” Cass hung back, on the off-chance Demaryius’s guilt made her its target. “I thought I had my head wrapped around this, but I don’t.” She lowered her chin. “He’s really dead?”
“Delacorte is nothing but ash.” I showed her the report on my phone. “However guilty he was in life, he’s innocent of this.”
“I told myself he was dead.” Her expression remained pinched. “Now it’s like he’s been resurrected, and I can’t lay him to rest again.”
“You’ve had a crazy eight hours.” I rubbed her shoulders. “You’ll get through this, promise.”
“Yeah.” She forced a smile. “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right?”
“I’ve never liked that quote. It’s too suck it up, buttercup for me.”
“Hmm.” She thought about it. “You’re right. What doesn’t kill us usually just tries to kill us again.”
“Ready to go home?” I noticed Boaz waving off Parker and Abernathy. “We can regroup, try again tomorrow.”
“There is no tomorrow,” she said softly. “No one he—or she—has taken has survived longer than twenty-four hours.”
There was no comfort to offer, so I took her hand and led her to Boaz, who nodded to us.
We set out for Cass’s car, and Boaz called in fresh sentinels to comb the woods and the lake.
It was all we could do, and it wasn’t enough.
I didn’t know what to say to Cass when we pulled into my driveway. I offered to let her sleep over in Hadley’s room, but she passed. She wanted time alone to process all she had learned, and without her saying it, I knew she wanted privacy to grieve for her friend.
I watched her car until she cut the corner onto the main road. “I thought we had it.”
“I did too.” Boaz walked up beside me and slung his arm around my shoulder. “We all did.”
The weight of his arm was pleasant, and a companiable touch was welcome. “How’s Honey?”
“She’s claims she’s at one hundred percent, so I figure that means ninety-five or so. She’ll be fine come tomorrow.”
“I’m glad.” I leaned my head on his shoulder to see how it felt. Nice. It felt…nice. “I’m relieved neither of you were hurt worse.”
“I don’t get it.” He rested his cheek against my hair, proving himself an expert at offering comfort. “The sentinels in the area keep tabs on vagrants, for the safety of the human population. According to Parker, this area has never had a problem. They get through traffic, sure, but those vampires stay in hotels and make no effort to hide themselves.”
That was the smart approach, to make yourself seen by the local sentinels and the local vampires, in a way that made it clear you were in town for a day and would be gone the following night.
“Ready to go in?”
I noticed I was staring after Cass, even though she was long gone. “I’m worried about her.”
“She doesn’t live too far from here.” He winced, and I felt it. “Not that I sneaked around her property when I—very briefly—considered she might be the killer or anything.”
“Of course you didn’t,” I said dryly. “What are you saying?”
“That if you’d feel better doing a drive-by, or tucking her in, or whatever else, I’m game.”
“You must be exhausted.” I gave him a quick hug in thanks before I chickened out. “You don’t have to come too.”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight until we resolve this situation.” He released me. “We don’t know who we’re dealing with, but there’s a link to Cass. There must be. You’re her friend, and her partner. That might make you a target.”
“I’m not a vampire.”
“Neither was Twyla Thorne.”
“I’m not arguing with you.” I couldn’t help a warm at his earnest concern. “I don’t mind the company.”
“Then let’s go.” A slow smile crept across his features. “Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?”
“Um…”
“You’re going to love it.” He took my hand and dragged me toward his bike. “Her name is Willie.”
The boyish glint in his eye connected the dots for me. “You’re pulling my leg.”
Removing a second helmet from his saddlebags, he strapped it on me. He pulled a leather jacket out too and forced my arms through it then zipped it up to my chin.
“I don’t know about this.” I couldn’t see my hands, the sleeves hung so far past my fingertips. “Is it safe?”
“You hunt rogue vampires and goddess only knows what else for a living.” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Are you serious right now?”
Rolling my eyes, I watched him helmet up and swing a long le
g over the bike. He patted the seat behind him, and I had seen enough movies to get the idea. I climbed on and let him place my arms where he wanted them around his waist. I linked my fingers and buried my face in his back.
“Ready?” He covered my hands with his. “Hey, no pressure. We can take your car if you’d rather.”
“How can I say I don’t like it if I don’t try it?” I screwed my eyes shut tight. “I’m willing to extend you this much faith.” I clenched my thighs. “However, if you wreck, and I die, I will come back and haunt you.”
“I would expect nothing less,” he said, a smile rich in his voice. “Hold on tight, and let me know if you want to stop. I don’t care if I have to walk Willie back to the house, I’ll do it.”
“Thanks.” I sucked in a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
Relationships were about give-and-take, right? No one who didn’t love bikes spent the kind of money on one that Willie must have cost. The thing was huge, and it was spotless, and it was all decked out with accessories made by the manufacturer. The logo was everywhere. I didn’t have to love bikes, or riding them, for this thing to work between Boaz and me, but I was determined to make an effort rather than dismissing what frightened me out of hand.
After all, if I did that, I would run screaming from the altar. Marriage was scary as heck.
The bike roared to life, and my eyes popped open wide. Boaz glanced back one last time to check on me. I wasn’t willing to let go of him, so I smiled and hoped he understood I was set. He must have, since he pattered slowly down the drive, allowing me get a feel for it.
“This isn’t so terrifying,” I yelled to him. “I like the wind in my hair.”
Thankfully, now that we were moving, he kept his eyes on the road. “Ready to go faster?”
“Yes?”
The wind increased, and I squished myself tighter against him, hiding behind his back. The vibration under me jarred my teeth…and other places…but it wasn’t a bad feeling. Just an awkward one.
“Doing okay back there?” Boaz slowed for a car to pass us. “We’re almost at the speed limit.”
“We’re not even going fifty-five yet?” I gaped at his spine. “It feels like we’re flying.”
Boaz’s laughter carried back to me, and an answering smile twitched on my lips.
Despite the somber night, I was having fun. It shocked me to realize one day I might want my own Willie. Just with a classier name. I still couldn’t believe he named his bike Willie. Talk about overcompensating.
“Almost there,” he called, though I knew this road better than he ever would from traveling back and forth between my place and Cass’s. “Hold on a little longer.”
“Hey.” I sniffed the air. “Do you smell that?”
“Goddessdammit. I have to call this in.”
“What’s wrong?” I couldn’t see over him, he was too tall, and I wasn’t brave enough to lean out and peek. “What do you…?”
Gently as he could, he took Cass’s gravel driveway, but we were close now. I could see the flames licking the night sky, smell the burning forest, and tell my highly flammable friend was in grave danger. This close to sunrise, Cass was screwed. Her bedroom was downstairs, in the basement, but she couldn’t retreat there without trapping herself. She couldn’t run either. The sun would be up in a half hour, maybe less, and she had no shelter in the woods.
“Stop.” I released the fist I’d made in the back of his shirt. “Stop the bike.”
The second the motor quit, I was shucking the protective gear and then running for the house.
“Cass,” I screamed. “Cassandra.”
The door was engulfed in flames. I didn’t have to kick it down. It fell. The first-floor interior was a raging inferno.
“You can’t go in there.” Boaz caught me around the waist. “You can’t reach her.”
Flailing against him, I kicked and hit him and bit when he got too close to my face. “Turn me loose.”
“I’m not going to let you kill yourself. Cass wouldn’t want that.”
“Cass can’t want anything if she’s dead.”
“Addie…” He turned me in his arms. “It’s too late.”
“No.” I stomped his instep and then screamed in his face when his grip loosened. “It’s not.”
“Wait—” He kept reeling me back in. “Do you hear that?”
I heard nothing over the pounding of my heart.
He seemed to understand that and clarified, “Music.”
“Music.” I whirled from the house toward the woods. “Like the others.”
Before he could stop me, I bolted into the trees, sprinting hard, desperate to find Cass.
Boaz had a killer headache from the gazebo incident, and he was sore from all the hits Addie landed, but he could have run a triathlon the second he lost his grip on her and she fled into the woods. He ran after her, crashing through the leaves and debris, no stealth whatsoever, but in that moment, he didn’t care about how much noise he made. He cared about Addie.
The killer might be in the woods, but he didn’t slow. Addie would give away their location long before him, and it chilled his blood to think what the killer might do if they got their hands on her while Cass was still breathing.
Only the secretive nature of their friendship had spared Addie. He believed that in his bones. The killer would have circled around to her, given time. No one could convince him otherwise. And here she was, throwing herself at them.
With every ounce of strength left in him, Boaz poured on speed until he caught her. He slammed into her, and they tumbled to the ground. He only half absorbed the impact, and she cried out from the shock. He would have clamped a hand over her mouth if he wasn’t certain she would bite him.
“Addie, you’ve got to calm down.” He struggled to restrain her. “Think.”
“Cass might be out there.”
“And she might be alive.” He hated to be the bad guy, but she left him no choice. “The killer might finish her off if they hear us coming.”
The fight drained out of her, and tears poured down her face. “Oh, goddess.”
“Shhh.” He released her slowly, unsure if this was a trick or if he had gotten through to her. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay.” Twin tracks glistened on her cheeks. “She’s my best friend.”
“I know.” He hit his knees then helped her sit on the forest floor. “Let’s go find her.”
Backup was on the way, but they would arrive too late to help Cass, and Addie knew it.
Nodding, she rose to her feet then helped him stand. “All right.”
Worried she might bolt, he took her hand and laced their fingers. “Come on.”
Her legs didn’t work right the first step or so, but he kept tugging her along until she remembered how to walk. The farther they traveled, the quieter she became until he worried she might never speak again.
Away from the fire, the music pounded, making it easier for them to track its source.
They came into a pecan grove filled with broken limbs on every tree and ratty leaves in dull colors.
“I didn’t know this was back here.”
Boaz jolted at hearing Addie’s voice after so long. “Are we still on Cass’s property?”
“She owns the entire hill.”
Her return to quiet made it clear small talk was over, but at least the spark was back in her eyes when they came across yet another phone resting on the stump of a tree cut down long enough to turn mushy with rot. This one, he could tell, belonged to Cass.
“You must be my replacement,” a feminine voice called. “She’s always had a thing for blondes.”
Boaz’s fingers spasmed around Addie’s, and he tightened his grip on her. “Who are you?”
“Not Delacorte, if that’s what you were thinking.” Her laughter was high and light. “I’m Serena.”
Addie’s fingers went limp in his. “Cass said you died.”
“I did.” The speaker made no m
ove to reveal herself. “And then I was brought back. Resuscitated. The sheriff was in Delacorte’s pocket. He set the whole thing up to keep Delacorte’s hands clean.” Her voice trembled. “Delacorte meant to give me to Cass as a gift, or a bribe, I don’t know. It mattered to him that she accepted his offer of eternity, that she wanted it, but she kept refusing him.”
That explained why they got it wrong. Serena knew Cass well enough to guess where she would go looking for her, at the Lovers, and Serena had laid a false trail to give her time to arrange one last tableau. She had gone as far as to plant Ari’s scent there, perhaps using a piece of clothing, and attacked him and Honey to further make it appear as though her plans had been thwarted when they had been stumbling deeper into her trap with every step.
Hand to her throat, Addie said, “I’m sorry for—”
“I don’t want your pity. I want revenge.” A short woman wearing jeans and a flannel shirt stepped from behind a cluster of trunks. Her blonde hair was worn high in a tail, and her brown eyes were warm. “Lovers always say they’ll die for one another, but it’s only words. Not for us.”
Careful to keep Addie a step behind him, he engaged the vampire to get her focus off Addie. “Why punish Cass when you’ve admitted she’s just as much a victim as you?”
“He enjoyed what he did to me so much, he did it to her too. He was tired of waiting. He beat her half to death, really got his jollies, and then got the sheriff to call in the same necromancer to make it all go away,” Serena said. “That left him no use for me. He should have killed me true dead or set me free. He could have sold me into an immortal brothel, and I would have thanked him, but no. He kept me.”
Slowly, he crept forward, doing his best to scan the area for signs of Cass while inching closer to Serena. “Why?”
She had come here to talk, and he was giving her the platform she craved with a live audience.
But the sky was lightening, pinks and purples on its edges, and he had to move this along.
“He planned to use me to leash her, I think.” She tugged on her ponytail. “I’m pretty sure that was the plan.” Her gaze twitched to her left, to him, drawn by his movement. “But he never got the chance.”
The Redemption of Boaz Pritchard Page 13