by Wendi Wilson
“Ack! It is pretty bad.” Zelda made a disgusted face.
“‘Kay, bye!” True tried to leave again, but I dragged her over.
“I’ll go next. If I don’t die, you’ll know it’s fine.” I picked up the goblet, my stomach already churning.
True made a sad face and picked up her own goblet. “We’ll do it together. At least then, if we die, we’ll die hand-in-hand.”
I smiled, so happy to have the real True back after so many weeks without her. Xander’s compulsion had turned her into my enemy, but now that he was gone, she’d come right back to me.
I squeezed her hand one more time and tipped the goblet back.
The brew did taste like garbage. Hot garbage and poison mixed together. I barely got it down before my throat constricted, and I started gagging.
“Don’a hurl!” Zelda said. “It’ll ruin the spell.”
She handed us each a glass of water, which we greedily chugged. When the brew drama was over, Zelda smiled and took our hands. Together, we formed a sort of triangle.
“Now, girls. I want you ta picture that dryshite Thornberry in yer mind. Keep him there.” She closed her eyes and began to hum.
I did as she said even though I hated bringing up his image. He was the worst of the worst, and I couldn’t believe I let him stick his tongue in my mouth. That asshole.
But I needed to focus. I directed my mind to stop thinking of my anger and just picture his face.
Zelda’s chants got louder. “Lorg e. Lorg e. Lorg e.” Her hand squeezed mine. “Say it with me, girls.
We repeated her chant, louder and louder, our voices blending together until they were one voice. My hands began to tingle, and the air seemed to vibrate, but I didn’t dare open my eyes. I just kept chanting and picturing Warren.
“Stop!” Zelda yelled.
When I opened my eyes and looked at Zelda, my heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were pure white, no irises or pupils in sight. Her face was expressionless as she stared forward.
“I see him,” she said.
“Where is he?” True asked.
“He’s on a train.”
“A train?” I asked. “Going where?”
“Going nowhere,” she murmured.
I was about to suggest that the spell had been tainted, and Zelda was hallucinating, but she kept going.
“An abandoned train at the train yard due north. It’s near the border to Canada. He’s there now.” She gripped my hand, squeezing it hard, and stared at me with those awful, white eyes. “Ya need to go now, Piper. And ya need to hurry.”
Chapter Five
“I’m going with her.”
“So am I.”
My eyes darted from Coco to True, who flanked me on either side with determined expressions that matched my own. We were back in the main area of the mess hall, and I’d just finished telling Dad, Dean Purty, and the others the results of our spell with Zelda.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Levi replied. “True is human, and—”
“I’m a witch,” True cut in, narrowing her eyes at him, propping her hand against one of the lunch tables. “Watch what you say about me, or I’ll cast a spell that’ll make all that pretty hair fall out.”
Despite the serious nature of the conversation, I barked out a laugh. Like True would ever do that, even if she knew how to do it. Levi must’ve doubted her words, too, because he rolled his eyes at her and looked to my Dad for help.
Dad shrugged. “I’ll trust Piper with this decision.”
My insides warmed with those six words, making my face heat with pleasure. I’d expected Dad to treat me like a child, because, well, I was his daughter. I stared into his eyes and saw nothing but confidence. He knew everything I’d been through in the last year, particularly in the last few months, had forced me to grow up. To mature faster than any eighteen-year-old girl should have to.
“True is stronger than you think,” I said to Levi, but my eyes never left my dad’s. “And Coco is a vampire now, just like the rest of you. I’ll feel safer with them by my side.”
Levi looked like he wanted to argue, but he held his tongue. His shoulders sagged, and he gave me one firm nod, accepting my decision.
“Okay, it’s settled then,” Dean Purty said. “Piper, True, Coco, Scott, Levi, and a few of the mountain vamps will go to the train yard, but just for a reconnaissance mission. Do not engage with Warren or any of The Society members with him. Come back to meet with the council, and tell them what you found.”
“Charles,” Dad said, his eyes leaving mine to spear the dean, “I can’t make any promises. If I see an opening to kill Warren, I’m going to take it.”
“And if I can get close enough to compel him, I will,” I added.
The dean sighed, but didn’t argue. He realized, just like the rest of us did, that trying to talk Dad out of acting was futile. And I was nearly as bad. Warren Thornberry had taken too much from both of us. Our souls screamed for retribution.
I planned to take my vampire dagger with me, as well, and if I managed to catch Warren unawares, he was a dead man. Or vampire. Whatever. I’d compel him to hold still, then drive that blade straight through his black heart. He’d be nothing but ash on the wind.
“How will we get there?” True asked, cracking her knuckles dramatically.
“Running straight through would be fastest,” a young-looking vampire said, stepping forward to stand beside dad.
“Piper, this is Desmond, my second-in-command.” Dad gestured toward Desmond, formally introducing me to him. “Desmond, meet my daughter, Piper, and her friends, True King and Coco Morales.”
Desmond had brown skin that, despite its vampire paleness, was still slightly darker than True’s. His chestnut brown hair hung in thin braids down his back, and when he smiled at me with bright white teeth, deep dimples appeared on his cheeks. With tight, ripped jeans and a henley shirt with sleeves pushed up to reveal muscled forearms, he looked like a fashion model, not someone who’d been scrounging to survive in the mountains.
Desmond nodded toward us before adding to his previous comment. “Running will give us an advantage. Humans typically travel in cars, and they are fast, but not as fast as vampires, especially since vehicles have to stay on roads and adhere to speed limit laws. We can cut a straight line through any terrain and get there in a fraction of the time.”
“But what about us?” True said, motioning between herself and me. “We can’t run that far… or anywhere near as fast as you.” Her eyes roved over his strong body.
Was she flirting with him? It sure as hell sounded like she was flirting. My head reared back a tiny bit as I stared at her. I assumed that, after everything she’d gone through with Xander, she’d be a little gun shy when it came to vamp boys. Seeing her glittering eyes and sassy smile, I realized I was wrong. There was nothing shy about True King.
“Levi can carry Piper on his back,” Desmond said. “And I’ll let you ride me, Miss King.”
My eyes widened at his very obvious innuendo, but True just giggled and said, “Okay.”
I discreetly elbowed her in the side, but she just ignored me and kept giving Desmond bedroom eyes. Sheesh. Way to focus, True.
I switched my focus to Coco, who was grinning at True. She made a purring sound in her throat, and True seemed to snap out of her lust-fueled daze. Her cheeks darkened, and Desmond’s smile grew even wider.
“That sounds like a solid plan,” Dad said, his face serious as if he’d somehow missed the antics between Desmond and True. Or maybe he was ignoring it. He turned to Levi. “Are you good with carrying Piper?”
“Of course,” Levi said, smiling at me.
A little thrill of excitement shot through me at the prospect of clinging to Levi’s back as we practically flew through the countryside. I’d never been much of an adrenaline junkie, but something about this was extremely appealing.
I pulled my phone from my pocket to check the time. It was just after ten in the morning.
I looked up at Dad.
“How long do you think it’ll take to get from here to the train yard?”
“I been researching the area I saw in me vision,” Zelda said, moving forward and holding up her phone. “The train yard is north of Bellingham, by the Canadian border, ‘bout three hundred miles away.”
“We could be there in three and a half hours, if we push hard,” Desmond responded, and my mouth fell open.
I was no math whiz by any stretch of the imagination, but was he saying they could run almost a hundred miles an hour? I knew vampires were fast, but that sounded insane. And scary as hell.
I was suddenly feeling a little less sure about True and I riding the backs of vampires. I glanced over at her, but she was once again making goo-goo eyes at Desmond. With none of the discreteness that I used before, I elbowed her in the ribs.
“Ow! What?” she yelped, finally noticing my stern expression.
“I think you’re failing to respect the seriousness of this situation, True,” I gritted out in a low voice.
Though why I bothered to whisper in a room full of vampires, I had no idea. Habit, I guess. I shook my head at her and refocused on my dad.
“When do we leave?”
“Within the hour,” he said. “The sooner we find him, the better.”
“OH, my God, True. The fire between you and Desmond was… explosive.”
“Coco,” I said with a sigh, “please don’t encourage her.”
They both laughed as I shimmied into a pair of jeans. We were back in Saka’am, changing into sturdier, more protective clothing and gathering supplies for our trip. I pulled the vampire dagger from under my mattress and admired it for a moment.
It was lethal to vampires, spelled with a magic that burned their flesh if they so much as touched it. If the blade actually pierced their skin, it was lights out forever, with nothing but ash remaining.
I picked up the leather sheath I’d dropped on the bed and slid the dagger inside. My father had handed the leather casing to me earlier, saying I needed to have easier access to my weapon. As I attached it to my belt, I remembered trying to fight off the horrible vampire that day at the estate. Dad was right—trying to pull it from my bag in a dire situation wasted valuable time. I could’ve died. This dagger was all too often all that separated me from swift and lasting death.
“Come on, Piper,” Coco said. “I know we’re in a terrible, dangerous situation in which we could all die, but Desmond is fine. We can take two seconds to be girls and celebrate his hotness, can’t we?”
“Mine,” True chirped, hip-checking Coco before wagging her finger at her. “Hands off the hottie.”
Despite my exasperation with them and their antics, I smiled. Having two best friends could be awkward, especially if they didn’t like each other. Coco had died, awoken as a vampire, and dug herself out of her own grave, only to discover she wasn’t my only friend anymore. She could’ve felt betrayed or abandoned and hated True on mere principal.
But that wasn’t the case. They were getting along amazingly well.
“Okay, fine,” I grumped. “I admit it. Desmond is hot.”
“Is he?”
I whirled around to face the door, finding Levi leaning a shoulder against the door frame. He was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, and an expectant expression.
“Hey, we’re changing in here,” True said before I could answer Levi’s question.
The three of us were actually fully dressed, but that was beside the point as far as True was concerned.
“I’ve been waiting out here for the last few minutes,” Levi replied in a relaxed voice, his gaze still locked on mine. “I could tell you were done changing by the sounds you were making… and your topic of conversation.”
“Oops,” Coco said, giggling. “We’ll, uh, see you in a few, Pipes.”
She grabbed True’s hand and dragged her from the cabin, squeezing past Levi. I watched him as he straightened and stalked toward me.
“Soooo…Desmond is hot, huh?”
I stood my ground as he neared me, not moving an inch. “Yes.”
He circled me like a predator, and the nearness of his body coupled with an aura of possessiveness made my hormones go a little haywire. I found myself leaning forward as he stopped in front of me.
When he didn’t speak, I whispered, “He’s got nothing on you.” I sucked my bottom lip in between my teeth and bit down.
Levi growled, and I was suddenly wrapped up in his arms, his mouth devouring mine. He kissed me like his afterlife depended on it. Like the touch of his lips and tongue against mine gave him the will to go on.
He kissed me like it might the last time.
I pushed the thought from my mind, letting myself get lost in his touch. His hands brushed over my hips to smooth down my thighs, his fingers curling around the back of them and pulling me up in one fluid motion. I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles behind him.
My hands fisted in his hair as I kissed him from my new, higher position. Being above him made me feel dominant and powerful. I didn’t hate the feeling. My mouth pressed harder against his, my tongue darting inside.
Levi groaned, and suddenly I was standing on wobbly legs with him several feet away, panting as if he actually needed the oxygen. I breathed in great gulps of air—because I did need it—while trying to figure out what had just happened.
“I was two seconds away from doing something I know I shouldn’t,” he said softly, as if reading my mind.
“Maybe you should,” I whispered back.
I shoved Warren Thornberry, his vampires, and the trip to the train yard to the back of my mind and locked them up tight. I didn’t want to be a responsible soldier right now.
I wanted to feel Levi’s hands and mouth on every inch of me.
I blushed with the thought, and Levi let out another of those animalistic growls. I didn’t know if it was the sight of blood rushing to my face, or the fact that I was obviously thinking naughty thoughts, but that blush was driving him wild.
“We can’t, Piper.”
“Of course,” I said, brushing a toe against the floor. “Everyone else is waiting for us.”
“Everyone else can go straight to hell,” he said, shocking me. “You’re the most important thing on this Earth, Piper Williams. If I were human, we’d make them wait all day while I showed you exactly how I feel about you.”
My breath hitched in my throat at the imagery his words invoked. The timbre of his voice told me how much he wanted me. His stance showed how hard he was fighting against himself. The words flowing from his mouth, how much he loved me.
“We can’t because I’m not human, and you are.”
I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him I trusted him implicitly, and I knew he’d never hurt me, but a shout from outside made me snap it shut. It was my father’s voice, and he was close.
Close enough for his vampire ears to hear every word Levi and I had said to each other.
I blushed again, and Levi’s serious expression faded into a grin. I narrowed my gaze at him, but couldn’t stop my own lips from turning up.
“Saved by the dad with supernatural senses,” I whispered.
“Maybe next time,” he quipped.
“Oh, there will be a next time,” I shot back.
“Piper—”
“Dad, we’re in here!” I called out, interrupting what I knew was going to be yet another lecture on the dangers of getting him too worked up.
I intended to prove to him that he could trust himself as much as I trusted him, but now was not the time. All that responsibility I tried to push away came rushing back, and I knew we needed to focus on the problems at hand. But I planned to get back to seducing him as soon as the problem of Warren Thornberry was resolved.
Levi Kass was mine, and I was his. Nothing was ever going to change that.
Nothing would keep me from showing him how much I loved him. How much I wanted him. Nothing. Not even Levi Kass, himself.
Chapter Six
We were ready.
I stared at the crew of vampires and witches lined up at the northern border of Camp Shadow Lake. My dad, Desmond, and two of the best mountain vamp fighters were geared up in their leather and fur, looking like badass Vikings without the horned helmets. Levi had dressed in a smart leather jacket, sturdy jeans, and boots, looking both scrumptious and fearsome. Only, Coco, True, and I were wearing normal clothing: jeans, black hoodies, and boots. We´d tried to dress in layers since True and I were the only ones who would feel the cold.
And it was going to get cold.
Zelda had tracked Warren´s train yard to an area near the Canadian border. Even though it was late summer, the elevation there, combined with the tree cover and the speed at which we would be traveling, was going to make for a very chilly journey.
“Piper, True, take these,” my father said, handing out pairs of goggles. ¨You´re going to want to tie your hair back, too.”
Levi came up, helping me adjust my goggles. “Think of it like riding in a convertible. You put the top down so your hair can blow.”
“What if I don't want my hair to blow?” True said with a raised eyebrow, looking mortified at the idea.
“Don't worry, beautiful,” Desmond said, turning on that devastating smile of his. He tossed some of his shoulder length dreads over his shoulder. “A little wind won’t hurt you.”
“I wouldn't be so sure,” True mumbled, trying a handkerchief over her curls. Once that was done, she seemed to focus on cataloguing Desmond’s body with her eyes. After his beautiful comment, I could only imagine what was going through her mind. He didn’t seem to mind her attention one bit, smirking like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Once we get there,” Dad said, stepping in the center to address us, “Let me be the first to approach. The rest of you just hang back until I call you.”