“No, no.” He bent down beside her. “Don’t worry about that now. You’re doing great.” He held a small bottle in front of her nose, and she took a big whiff.
“What are you giving her?” asked Camille.
“This mixture would be good for you too.” Orm passed the vial in front of her nose. “Helps calm your nerves so your body can heal.”
“Okay, I need a different distraction,” Alena reported.
Wondering if the hybrid princess wasn’t ever the center of attention, I took a seat beside Camille.
Orm squatted in front of Alena. “The figure you saw the night of the rescue? Tell us more about the being.”
“It had to be Hunter and our bond.”
“Were you glowing, Hunter?” I asked.
“Do you have to always be such a skeptic? Geez. Certainly, I was thinking about Alena, but beyond that I don’t know.”
“Was the being on the water or in the air?” Orm pursued his line of questioning.
“He was walking on the water, and I knew to follow him.”
“So, not waving his arms in the air signaling?” I continued my snide remarks, despite myself.
“Interesting.” Orm stood and shuffled over to Chalondra.
“Interesting? That’s all I get?” Alena asked.
Orm shrugged “That’s all I have.”
“I didn’t see any human sacrifice rituals when I was at the castle,” Gabrielle blurted out.
Alena turned her head to face the girl. “So, tell us about your experience in Michael’s coven.”
Gabrielle told us about the gowns, the teas, the dinners, and dances. “And Theron was a perfect gentleman.” Gabrielle crossed her arms over her middle.
“He never fed you his blood?” I asked.
Her nose wrinkled up. “No, gross, I would never drink anyone’s blood.”
“He could have slipped it in her drink. I think when Alena’s done with the transfusion we still need to split up. We don’t have any evidence that the transfusion will work. Only a hunch.”
“The trinity should remain together,” Camille insisted.
“In this case, I think Jude is correct,” Orm stated. “Jude, you take Camille and her family to Grady’s safe house. We’ll make our way south. If we aren’t followed, then we’ll know it’s safe, and we’ll find you.”
“We can’t give you the location of my house. It would be too dangerous,” Grady commented.
“Camille can take Alena’s blood,” Hunter suggested.
“It’s not Alena’s blood right now,” I reminded them. Thinking through the possible work-arounds, I came up empty. I didn’t want Camille taking anyone else’s blood. She possibly had already been stripped of my blood bond by the transfusion. Intending to remedy that situation later, I paced away from the group and back. If the act was intended to bind one to their mate, I wanted to be alone with Camille when it happened.
“I’ll drink someone’s blood,” Janine spoke up.
“Mom!” Tyler objected.
“It’s a good solution. Camille doesn’t need anything else in her system,” Grady agreed.
“It would be my pleasure.” Dimitri slid a knife from his pocket and sliced his arm. Grady turned his back while Janine sipped at the drops from his wrist.
As the last of Dimitri’s blood entered Alena’s arm, we gathered our belongings. The medical staff reported the exit to be another half mile down the tunnel. Outside, Camille, Janine, Tyler, Grady, and I would go north to Rome and the others would go south. Glad we had the cover of darkness, I prayed the coven above ground wouldn’t penetrate the walls before we could escape. From the constant rumblings and tremors, I guessed they hadn’t yet.
“We’re really leaving the others? Fahim?” Alena stood when the nurse removed the needles from her arms.
“That is war,” Dimitri told her.
She hiked her bag onto her shoulders. “War sucks.”
I hoisted my back to my shoulders, then picked up Camille.
“I don’t like that we’re splitting up,” she told me.
“I know. But it won’t be for long. We can’t risk all of you being captured. God knows what evil plan they’ve cooked up for that scenario.” I watched as Dimitri cut the generator and rolled it forward.
Camille’s gaze shifted to my face. “Why does Alena annoy you so much?”
“I don’t know. She just does. I don’t trust her.” I left out that her jerky movements drove me nuts.
“Because Theron forced his blood on her?”
“Because she was talking to Theron, and that’s why we’re in this situation right now.”
Camille shrugged. “I think there’s history there.”
“I have a history with Miguel, but I wouldn’t decide to have a one-on-one with him.”
“I trust her.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“You worked together to rescue me.” She tapped on my chest.
I looked into her eyes. “Yes.”
“What about your dad? Have you tried to get him away from the castle?”
Frustrated, I took a deep breath. Why was she bringing up all these issues? I couldn’t solve not trusting Alena any more than I could figure out my relationship with my dad.
“You’re not going to answer me?”
“I don’t have an answer. He made his choice.”
“You joined Michael’s coven too.”
“To save you.”
“Don’t you think he was doing the same? And you’re going to leave him in the castle? Let him be held hostage?”
“Can we finish one rescue at a time?”
“How did Gabrielle get here?”
I explained what happened with Marcus and how they’d kidnapped her from the castle.
“And you didn’t think to get your father out too?”
“Camille. I couldn’t think of anything but you. I’ve been racking my brain for weeks trying to figure out how to rescue you.”
“Well, I’m safe now, so you need to think about your dad.”
“I’m going to disagree with you on that point. We—”
A huge boom echoed through the tunnel, and the rock around us shook. Loose stones and dirt sprinkled down on our heads, and I hugged Camille to me and lurched forward. As we ran through the narrow passage, my heart thudded in my chest with each foot fall. In front of me, Dimitri slung Chalondra onto his back, and Aaron, Orm. The flashlights bounced in front of me, the light diffused by the dust swirling around us.
“Cover your nose and mouth with your jacket so you’re not breathing in all the grit,” I told Camille, praying the tunnel walls would hold.
In about two hundred feet, Dimitri slowed in front of me and stopped behind Aaron.
“What’s going on?”
“Not sure.”
I scooted around them to the front of the group. Alena and Hunter stood at the edge of the tunnel overlooking a raging creek. The exit to the tunnel stood halfway up the bank.
“You can fly, right? Can you carry someone?” I asked Alena.
“Probably, can you jump that stream carrying someone?”
“Easy, we only need to make a couple of trips.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Hunter agreed.
He secured Orm on his back and got a running start before launching himself into the air. With the darkness, we couldn’t see him land, but within seconds he appeared in front of us, rolling to dampen his impact.
Alena transferred Chalondra and then Gabrielle. I jumped over Camille, Janine, and Tyler. Grady made the launch, and then Hunter and I brought over the doctor and nurse.
As I landed on the soft bank with Dimitri and Aaron flanking me, another explosion blasted through the tunnel and the roof fell, closing the entrance.
Dimitri whistled. “Now that is action for you.”
“Dimitri,” Alena scolded. “Let’s not forget our friends are back there, including Fahim.”
Hunter wrapped his arm around her should
er. “We’ll come back for them.”
Opening our map programs on our phones, we pinned a location and decided that in twenty-four hours we would meet up if Alena hadn’t been followed.
“Can’t we just talk to each other?” Camille asked.
“It won’t be safe,” I told her.
“No, I mean Hunter, Alena, and I can communicate using our magic.”
“Which you don’t have right now.”
“Right.” Her eyes dropped.
I lifted her chin. “Don’t worry, we’re going to get you fixed.”
With Orm and Chalondra, our group grew bigger than I would have preferred. But I saw the value in having their council and they were frail, so I agreed to take them with us. We hiked up to the lane and, using the electronic map, found our location and called a car to give us a ride.
“This is the weirdest thing ever,” Tyler noted as we waited. “We run through a tunnel to escape evil witches, and we call a cab to get us to our safe house. I feel like we need horses instead of GPS.”
“What, because witches can only exist in Camelot?” Orm asked.
“I’m still adjusting.”
I pulled the stone bracelets we’d procured in LA from my bag. “We should use these. It’s easy enough to slide them off if there’s trouble.
Grady instructed the driver to drop us a few blocks from the address. When we arrived, I lifted Camille from the car. Grady signaled for the group to stop. “I’m going to go ahead and make sure everything is safe.”
“Good plan,” I told him, wishing I’d thought of it. But all that passed through my brain were scenarios wherein Camille might avoid the pain of the tethers being yanked from her soul. We huddled under the eve of a house, staying in the shadows.
Within a few minutes, Grady’s form appeared on the sidewalk. When he reached us, he shook his head. “We have to go with plan B.”
“What? Where’s Helene?” I insisted.
“She’s been moved.”
“What do you mean? I spelled her in there.”
“I own the property. Only I could spell someone there. I guess they skipped that in your training. I spelled Helene in and had someone watching the house. If something seemed off, if the location was discovered, I left instructions for them to move her.”
“So, I only had the power to spell someone in a room of the house? Why wouldn’t you tell me that in the first place?”
“You already knew the location of one of my safe houses. I didn’t want you knowing the location of another.”
“In case I got captured. Guess I can’t blame you for that. Where is the new place?”
“An hour’s drive. It’s bigger anyway.”
We stood on the curb, waiting for yet another ride. I pestered Grady with questions about boundary spells. Learning the owner of a house couldn’t be imprisoned in his own structure seemed like good knowledge to have. It reminded me I had eighteen years of learning about magic to make up for. When the car arrived, we stuffed ourselves in the small SUV. At least the vehicle’s suspension was smooth and Camille slept.
Orm whispered to Chalondra the entire ride, and I listened to their discussion on remedies for Camille’s poisoning.
“Chelation therapy should take care of the heavy metals,” Janine offered. “Once we confirm her kidneys are working properly, then we can do the treatment. I thought we decided that.”
“Let’s hope it’s as simple as that.” Orm forced a smile.
I leaned towards Orm. “Hey, if there’s something you’re not telling us, then out with it.”
“There’s no way to know what else they did to her.”
“I think we all know that already.”
“Okay, then.” Orm nodded.
I knew I should trust Orm and Chalondra. But even after being with them the past few weeks, I couldn’t completely. My mind ticked through the list of people I did. It didn’t take half a second to figure out: Camille, Pop, Nan, perhaps Grady, but only because we had the same agenda when it came to Camille.
Leaning my head back on the seat, I realized every part of my body ached. I hadn’t slept well in weeks, and I wouldn’t until Camille got healthy. Fantasizing about a vacation on a white sandy beach, I slipped into a light sleep.
Movement in the car woke me, and I opened my eyes to see a light hanging over the door of a small cottage set back from the road. The others got the bags, and I lifted Camille’s sleeping form from the seat. Carrying her inside, I stopped short as each of the other’s faces were frozen in what looked like various stages of emotion, ranging from fear to shock.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Let me take Camille.” Grady approached me, arms out.
“I’ve got her. Tell me what’s going on,” I whispered.
“This way.” Grady turned to face a doorway.
I followed him upstairs to a room in the back of the house, laid Camille on the sheets, and tucked the blanket around her. Back in the kitchen, I posed my question again.
Grady crossed his arms over his chest. “Helene is gone.”
“Gone where?”
“No, gone, gone.”
“Dead?” The word came out more forceful than I’d intended.
“She passed yesterday,” a man standing beside Grady told me.
“This is Abram, a dear friend of mine.” Grady pointed to the man. “I don’t understand. You gave her ten years.” He paced away and then back to me.
“No, she wouldn’t take them.” My lungs tightened in my chest as I realized she’d still be alive if I’d forced those years on her.
Grady threw his hands up. “Great, this is the time Helene picked to be unselfish.”
“You said you knew someone else who could do the spell, right?”
“It’s too risky to involve someone else now. That person is probably being watched anyway. Michael’s coven will know that we’ll try to remove the mark.”
I straightened my shoulders. “I can do it.”
“You’re a new witch. You won’t have the power, even if you could remember the incantations,” Chalondra proposed.
“I have a photographic memory. I can do the spell. If I need more power, I can channel you guys.”
“It’s risky,” Orm noted.
“I know I can do this,” I emphasized.
Chalondra shook her head. “If a tether breaks…”
“You said the tethers would be weaker because her magic is blocked.”
Orm paced away and back. “They should be.”
“And Camille can push them, that’s how I got the last of mine expelled.”
Grady stretched his arms. “She’ll need to be stable.”
“Then we get her stable and perform the spell.”
Janine yawned. “We should all get some rest.”
I took my pack to the room I’d laid Camille in and spread a blanket on the floor.
“Oh”—Janine jumped as she walked into the room—“I figured I’d stay with her.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“Okay, well I’ll find another room.”
“You should find a good bed.”
“I will. Good night.” She backed out of the room.
I washed up in the bathroom and settled under my blankets. Feeling pressure on my shoulder, I turned to see Camille’s hand.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes, you can rest easy. I’ll be right here.”
“Will you lay beside me?” She bit her lip.
My heart issued a thud, and my chest warmed with her words. “Of course.” I got up and lay on the blanket beside her.
“If I had my magic, I’d know if Alena and Hunter were okay.”
I wrapped my arm over her. “They’ll be good. They’re survivors.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
“I missed you.”
Hugging her to me, I kissed her head. “I missed you too.”
She spun around and snuggle
d into my chest. I rested my arm over her waist, thinking I’d be in a heap of trouble if her dad came in. Feeling her chest rise and fall, knowing she was safe, made my heart swell with emotion. Relief spilled out with every breath, and I relaxed for the first time in weeks.
When I woke, light filled the space, and I jumped from the empty bed. Peeking at the sky, I noted the sun at its apex. I rinsed my mouth in the restroom and jogged to the kitchen. Orm, Chalondra, Janine, and Camille sat at the table eating.
“Did Grady and Tyler go to meet the others? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Janine got up and stirred the pot on the stove, spooning a portion into a dish. “You haven’t slept in days. Abram went with them. They needed two vehicles. Here.” She held the bowl out to me.
“Cars here are really little.” Camille’s voice sounded like the sweetest melody I ever heard.
“You look good.” I fought scooping her up and swinging her around, opting to rub her back as I slid in beside her. Noting the color in her cheeks had returned, I breathed another sigh of relief.
Her dark eyes found mine. “Chalondra and Orm were telling me how the brand is removed. I want to start this afternoon.”
“I think you should wait another day. Get stronger.”
“Every day we wait makes us sitting ducks. We have to get this finished sooner rather than later.” She held out her wrist.
Noting scars halfway up her arm, I ran my finger over them. “What are these?”
“Nothing.” She tugged her sleeve over the marks.
“What happened?” I insisted. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, I”—her eyes darted around the room—“made them to keep track of the days.”
“I’m so sorry.” My eyes pleaded her forgiveness. “You’re safe now. We have tons of protection. We don’t have to rush. What’s one more day? It’s going to take ten to get the tethers out anyway.” I returned to the stove, refilling my bowl.
“Mom said you did yours in five.”
“Because I am a crazy maniac. We’re not doing yours that way.”
“You should write everything out in case something happens,” Orm piped up.
“Like something happens to me?”
“Yes.” His eyes shifted to Chalondra.
My breath caught in my throat. “Are you a seer? Did you see something?” I set my bowl down.
Kingdom of Honor (Kingdom Journals Book 3) Page 16