We’re still surrounded by a crowd of curious people. There’s no chance in hell our little performance won’t reach my mother’s ears and the rest of the cronies in the council. I have no clue how I’m going to explain almost fucking Saxon’s brains out in the middle of the Nightshade Market to everyone, but that problem will have to wait.
“Where was Jacques the last time you saw him?” I ask.
“Right at the front of the market. By now, who knows?” Lucca replies.
Someone pushes through the crowd, creating a commotion. It’s the scrawny vendor who went ballistic when Saxon compelled the witch to sell us siren’s tears. He’s not alone. Two members of the Warlocks of Ivern Guild are standing next to him. I recognize them instantly by the dark power emanating from their tall frames. They’re the most ruthless magic users in the community, feared by pretty much everyone. I didn’t know they were in Salem, much less that they were working as security in the Nightshade Market.
“Those are the bloodsuckers who broke the sacred rules of Nightshade Market.” The old man points a shaky finger in our direction.
“Sacred rules? It was just a little bit of compulsion,” Saxon retorts. “No one got hurt.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. He had to open his big mouth. Am I the only one who senses the danger emanating from those warlocks? I reach for Saxon’s hand to draw his attention. The crackling when we touch happens again, but with much less intensity. “Sax, don’t say another word,” I whisper.
He turns to me with a frown, no doubt ready to argue.
“You’re all coming with us,” one of the warlocks says in a baritone voice that leaves no room for argument. This is not a request. It’s an order, and we’d better obey or the consequences will be dire.
Lucca takes a step forward, hissing. “Who the fuck are you to tell us what to do?”
Am I surprised Lucca and Saxon don’t know who we are dealing with? Not really. The warlocks very rarely mingle with vampires. They have other, more pressing issues to occupy their time, like keeping demons from taking over the world. Which begs the question. Why are they in Salem?
I step in front of Lucca while giving Vivienne a meaningful glance, hoping she will understand my message that she needs to control her guy. Those warlocks can wreak some serious damage, and they don’t care if Lucca is royalty or not.
“We didn’t mean to break any rules,” I say. “I’m sorry my friend used compulsion on your customer, sir.” I look at the vendor. “It was an emergency.”
“Some High Witch you will be one day. You’re supposed to be an example to the community.”
I wince, feeling his criticism deep in my soul. He’s not wrong.
“Hey, don’t talk to Aurora like that,” Saxon replies angrily. “You know nothing about her.”
I wish he would stop speaking, but damn, it feels good to hear him defending me. But I can’t allow my mushy feelings to interfere now. I have to save our asses.
“We’ll come with you,” I tell the warlocks.
“What?” Saxon exclaims. “Are you crazy?”
Leaning closer, I whisper, “I know what I’m doing. Trust me.”
“At least now we don’t have to worry about Jacques anymore,” Rikkon adds with a shrug.
I can tell his comment is not well received by Lucca and Saxon given the glowers they’re sporting now. And things become even tenser when the second warlock points two glowing fingers in our direction and whispers words in a foreign language. I reach for Saxon again, hooking my arm with his to keep him in place. A bright green light surrounds our group and it feels like my entire body is disintegrating. I’m caught by a nauseating sensation of vertigo that mercifully only lasts a few seconds. When I recover the full awareness of my body, we’re no longer in the market, but in a place I know all too well. Fuck. The warlocks brought us to the Council of Witches headquarters, and standing before us is my mother, looking positively pissed off.
Her furious stare switches from me to Saxon, and it’s only then I realize I’m still clutching him. I step away from his side, glad that thanks to the potion, I’m no longer lusting for him like a dog in heat.
“Son of a bitch. What the hell was that?” Saxon presses the heel of his hand against his forehead. “I feel sick.”
“Aurora Yuki, you have a lot of explaining to do,” my mother says with a deadly calm that preludes the unleashing of her wrath. I’m not looking forward to it.
“About what exactly?” I ask to buy time. I have to come up with a pretty good excuse to avoid telling her the truth. She can’t know under any circumstances that Saxon is my mate.
“About what?” Her voice rises to a shrill. “You were spotted behaving in the most disgraceful manner with that blond vampire in the middle of the Nightshade Market. You’re engaged to be married in nine months. Do you know how badly your rebellion reflects on me?”
My blood’s temperature is rising to a boiling point. She doesn’t care one bit about us. All that matters are what our actions will do to her reputation. I’m about to blow the lid off this can and tell her my engagement to Calvin can go to hell, but the words get stuck in my mouth. It takes me a moment to understand the blood vow is what’s making me tongue-tied.
“Rora did nothing. This whole fiasco was all my fault.” Miranda steps forward with her chin raised high.
What is she doing?
Mom raises an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that so?”
“It’s kind of embarrassing, really. I needed an ingredient for a love potion and went to the Nightshade Market to buy it. I met Aurora and her friends there by chance, and thanks to my clumsiness, Aurora and Saxon ended up covered in Venus Dust.”
I don’t miss the traded glance between the two warlocks who brought us here. I can’t begin to imagine what they must be thinking about this situation. From killing demons to witnessing a scene straight from a daytime soap opera. What a change.
“And you expect me to believe that’s what happened?” Mom asks.
“She’s not lying, ma’am,” one of the warlocks chimes in.
At once, we all turn to stare at the man. I try to school my expression into a neutral one, but I’m completely astonished by his bald-faced lie. Why would he do that?
“Are you saying you were there? You witnessed with your own eyes those events?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I think Mom still suspects Miranda’s story isn’t true, but like me, she probably can’t fathom why the warlocks would lie to save my ass.
“Very well. You’re all dismissed, except you, Miranda.”
She lowers her gaze to the floor, but I catch the grimace on her face just the same. Shit. I hate that she’s going to be punished for something she didn’t do. But if I tell the truth now, it won’t save her from punishment, it will only make matters worse for everyone.
“We’ll take you back to the institute,” the tallest of the warlocks says.
“Oh hell no. I’m not traveling like the first time again,” Saxon protests.
“Fine. You can walk from here. We don’t care.”
“Sax, just shut up and let’s go home,” Lucca says. “We have much to discuss.”
The warlocks use their magic again to send us back to Bloodstone, but this time, I land inside my apartment alone. Well, not alone. One of them came with me. The second trip was just as jarring as the first one, so before I do anything, I pull up a chair and sit down.
“The dizziness should fade in a moment,” he says.
I bite the inside of my cheek to speed up the process. Glaring at him, I ask, “Why did you lie to my mother?”
“For the same reason we came to Salem.”
“What reason is that?”
“We know about the deal you made with Elena Montenegro and what she covets. We can’t allow her to have it.”
23
Saxon
“What in the fucking hell!” I stagger to the nearest chair as the world around me spins out of control.
Not far f
rom me, Lucca and Rikkon grunt as well. It takes me a few seconds to notice Aurora is not in the room. I pivot around too fast and end up losing my balance, crashing against the second chair next to me and then falling straight to the floor.
“Careful, you shouldn’t move too fast after traveling through a wormhole,” says the asshole who brought us back.
I jump back onto my feet, ready to tear him to pieces if he doesn’t tell me where Aurora is in the next second. But Ronan, who must have been in his room, sneaks up behind the warlock and presses a blade against his neck.
“Don’t fucking move, motherfucker, or I’ll slit your throat before you can say expelliarmus.”
The warlock doesn’t seem one bit nervous about Ronan’s threat and I don’t think it’s because he quoted Harry Potter. The corners of his lips twitch upward and amusement dances in his pale gray eyes.
“Ronan McLaren. It’s been a while.”
Say what? He knows Ronan?
My friend presses the blade closer to the warlock’s neck. “Don’t even attempt pleasantries, Declan. I want to know what you’re doing in my apartment. How did you pass through the wards protecting Bloodstone?”
Whoa. Ronan knows the freaky warlock too? How is that possible? I wasn’t even aware they existed until an hour ago.
“I was carrying precious cargo. The future High Witch’s magic was enough to break through the wards.”
“Where’s Aurora?” I growl.
Declan raises an eyebrow. “You can’t feel her anymore?”
Fuck. Does he know we’re mates? He must, but I don’t know how. The High Witch didn’t seem to suspect about my link to her daughter.
I concentrate, remembering the invisible line that connects me to Aurora. I finally sense her. She’s back in her apartment. The potion has really dampened the effects of the bond. I wonder how long it will last this time. It seems the more I consume it, the less effective it becomes.
“What do you know about my relationship with Aurora?” I take a step toward him.
“I’ll answer you if you tell Ronnie boy here to bring his aggression down a notch.”
“Don’t release him just yet, Ronan. I have some questions I’d like answered,” Lucca chimes in.
“You do realize I’m just indulging your friend for old times’ sake,” Declan replies with a smirk.
With a grumble, Ronan removes the blade from the jackass’s throat and steps away. “Don’t waste your time trying to get answers from him. Most of the words out of his mouth will be lies anyway.”
“That’s true.” The warlock shrugs.
“Where do you know this guy from?” Rikkon asks, watching the stranger intensely.
“It’s a long story. What I’d like to know is what he’s doing here in our apartment.”
“There was a situation in the Nightshade Market,” I answer. “Declan and his friend showed up and took us to see the High Witch.”
“Friend?” Ronan’s eyebrows shoot to the heavens. “Who else is in Salem, Declan?”
“It’s just Ryker and me for now.”
“Wait. Where is the other douche?” I ask.
“And where’s Vivienne?” Lucca adds.
“The blonde girl is back in her apartment.” Declan attempts to smooth the wrinkles on his jacket as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. He’s surrounded by three Blueblood vampires, but he doesn’t seem to give a rat’s ass about it.
“And Ryker is having a private conversation with Aurora,” he continues.
The instinct to protect sweeps over me. “Hell to the fucking no.” I turn toward the door, but I only manage to take two steps forward before I hit an invisible barrier that I can’t break through. “What the fuck is this?”
“You’re not going to interrupt that meeting, Saxon. Don’t worry. Aurora is safe with Ryker.”
“And you think I trust your word?”
“Shut the fuck up, everyone!” Lucca yells. “Ronan, just tell us who we’re dealing with since you and those warlocks seem to go way back.”
Glaring at our unwelcome guest, he replies, “Declan and Ryker belong to the Warlocks of Ivern Guild. I met them when King Raphael sent me on a solo mission about three hundred years ago. You and Saxon were in hibernation at the time.”
“Are you saying those assholes are immortals?” I ask, unable to contain the surprise in my tone.
“Yep.” Declan takes a seat on the couch, crossing his legs at the knees. “Perk of being a warlock.”
“What’s the difference between warlocks and mages?” Rikkon asks.
“Warlocks deal with dark magic.” Ronan watches our unwanted guest through slits.
“Isn’t that bad?”
“It can be, if the mage is weak-minded,” Declan replies. “But it’s a necessary evil. You can’t fight demons using the garden-variety magic witches and mages do.”
Lucca shakes his head. “This doesn’t make any sense. How come I never knew your kind existed?”
“We don’t like the spotlight. We can do our job much easier in the shadows.”
I turn to Ronan. “I can’t believe you never told us about them.”
“Don’t give me that accusatory glance. By the time you and Lucca woke up, my encounter with those assholes was way in the past and almost forgotten. Besides, the subject never came up.”
“Why are you here, though?” Lucca asks Declan. “Did my uncle send for you?”
He snorts. “We aren’t servants of the king like the witches and mages in this town.”
“You lied to the High Witch to protect Aurora and now your buddy is talking to her. What do you want with my mate?” I almost shout.
“We’re not after your mate. But she’s in the way of our goal. It’s up to her if she wants to be an ally or a hindrance.”
Without thinking, I leap, ready to tackle the warlock down. But he simply moves faster than I can reach him, appearing on the other side of the room, unfazed.
“Don’t waste your time trying to pick a fight with me, buddy. You’ll lose. Besides, if Aurora agrees to help us, it will benefit you too.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“We can free her of the blood vow she made with Elena Montenegro. But she must agree to our terms.”
I wasn’t born yesterday. I know their terms might not be something Aurora would get on board with. But until she’s free of the deal with the old witch, we can’t be together.
“What terms are those?”
“I can’t tell you. You’ll have to ask her.”
“Then let me through,” I demand.
Declan tilts his head to the side, narrowing his gaze. “Not yet. Ryker needs another minute.”
Aurora
“How did you know?” I ask through the lump lodged in my throat.
“It was careless of you to agree to a blood vow. No sane witch would do it, especially not with the likes of Elena Montenegro,” he says in a reproachful tone instead of answering my question.
The criticism makes my heart feel even tighter in my chest. “What do you know about her?”
“More than you do, clearly.”
“Don’t presume I’m a naïve person. I know Elena is bad news, but…” I trail off, leery of sharing what I saw in the Nightingale mirror with him.
“But what, girl? If you know something, you’d better tell me. You’re way over your head already.”
“Why should I tell you anything? I just met you. I don’t even know your name.”
“The name is Ryker Marx. I’ve been fighting demons and other nightmarish creatures for centuries. If there’s one person you should trust, it’s me.”
“What are you implying? Is Elena Montenegro a demon?”
My heart is thumping so loud in my chest, I’m sure the douche canoe can hear it.
“No, but she’s been after the relic your fiancé’s family possesses for generations. Did you know she bewitched Calvin’s great-grandfather into proposing to her?”
“That’s aga
inst the council’s law,” I say, but I’m not surprised she’s done it.
“No kidding. She didn’t care. Her obsession with the first witch’s grimoire trumped everything else.”
I shake my head, having a hard time believing what this guy is telling me is true. “Her fiancé died.”
“Yes, he did.”
Suspicion takes hold of me. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
He gives me a droll stare. “If we were allowed to kill people, don’t you think we would have eliminated Elena instead?”
Maybe they should have.
“Did you know she has a magical mirror of Nightingale origin?”
My question drops onto the warlock’s head like a bomb. He doesn’t speak for a moment, but his eyes turn rounder and his face blanches. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. She made me look in it.”
“What did you see?”
I close my eyes for a second, not wanting to relive that awful scene, but it’s too late. “A terrible future. King Raphael went mad.”
When I look at the warlock again, he’s so still he could be confused with a statue. Only his eyes seem alive, blazing an electric blue.
“Just like the Boucher family,” he mumbles.
“Yes, just like them.”
He passes his hand over his face, looking rather rattled, which doesn’t help with my anxiety. “The situation is worse than I thought.”
“Why is that?”
“Elena already has the mirror, which was believed to have been destroyed. And now she wants the first grimoire.”
“What’s so terrible about her wanting the grimoire? Any witch would kill to have it.”
“And several have killed for it. The first grimoire contains terrible spells, girlie. Secrets that should never see the light of day. The Belmonts have been entrusted to keep the grimoire safe for centuries. Unfortunately, anyone marrying into the family automatically gains access to it.”
“Elena wants me to steal it when I marry Calvin, which doesn’t make any sense. She wouldn’t be able to read it.”
Well, she seems to believe she can, but I keep that thought to myself. Ryker already thinks I’m a stupid woman, there’s no need to give him more reason to keep believing that.
Wild Thing: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 2) Page 14