Wading into the crowd was like getting sucked back in time. She brushed off the memories and walked faster, using her elbows as needed to get people out of her way. No one was paying attention to anything other than their drink or potential one-night stand. Or their next meal.
As she brushed past the girls that had gotten rejected by the bouncer, she heard one of them giggling about her outfit. The bouncer also raised an eyebrow when he saw her approaching, but that she expected.
She stood on her tiptoes and shouted into the bouncer’s ear. “Siobhan sent for me.”
He nodded and lifted the velvet rope, allowing her to pass.
“Are you serious? You’re letting her in?” the giggler from before complained.
The bouncer ignored her and placed the rope back in its place. They were lucky they couldn’t get in. Maybe one day they’d realize that, but until then, a little disappointment on a Friday night wouldn’t kill them. Unlike what was up here.
This place was owned by Bram –– another reason she was pissed Shane had taken Amber to see him –– but he didn’t bother running it. He left that to his lackeys and just raked in the money. Siobhan was a staple here, and in most of the vampire’s bedrooms. She didn’t care about that though; her cousin could sleep with whoever she wanted. It was the drugs she sold to naive college students that made her mad.
She reached the top step and paused to look around. Everything was cast in shadow up here. Even the music wasn’t quite as loud, though it was still enough to keep anyone from overhearing your conversation.
In the far corner she spotted her cousin sitting in the lap of a vampire. Siobhan noticed her at about the same time and whispered something in her conquest’s ear, then stood. The vampire left and Siobhan sat back down on the loveseat alone. Ready to get this over with, Ceri marched over to her, trying to ignore the ever-increasing headache.
Siobhan draped her arm over the back of the loveseat and watched her approach, looking elegant as always. She had on some sparkly black number that was just long enough to qualify as a dress. Barely. “Dear cousin, I thought you’d never get here.”
“You’re lucky I came at all at this hour,” Ceri muttered, inspecting the other two chairs for signs of bodily fluids before picking the one closest and sitting down.
“Don’t be silly, I know you’re desperate.” Siobhan shifted her weight and swung her legs off the couch.
She wanted to punch her in the face. Maybe she could beat the information out of her. “Get to the point, Siobhan.”
“I think I like watching you squirm.” Siobhan grinned, something manic glinting in her eyes. “I can’t believe you got in here wearing that atrocious cardigan. I mean, honestly. You could have thrown on a dress.”
“Yes, I’m sure it’s truly shocking. You’ll live,” she said shortly, rubbing her fingers against her temple. She was surprised her cousin hadn’t gone after her hair first. Siobhan knew that was a sore spot. She’d said as much the last time they saw each other.
“I think I should get my payment first,” her cousin said abruptly, leaning back and crossing her arms.
Ceri raised her brow. “No way in hell. Tell me where he is and then I’ll give you the…” she hesitated, just for a moment, a gut feeling of worry cutting through the mental fog. “I’ll give you the spell my mother made.”
Siobhan sighed, pushing out her bottom lip in a pout. “Fine, but only because you’re too much of a goody two-shoes to screw me over.”
She forced herself to keep a blank expression on her face, but her heart started pounding in her chest. This wasn’t her cousin. Not only did she know that Ceri would screw her over given even half a chance, goody two shoes or not, Siobhan knew the spell she wanted was made by their grandmother. That’s not a slip of the tongue she would have ignored.
“Well? Where is he?” Ceri asked, quickly pulling magic into the palm of her hand. She’d have to fight her way out of here somehow. If she could manage a diversion, she might have a chance of succeeding.
The woman who was not her cousin looked at her carefully, her smile growing wider. The pretense fell away and she changed her posture, crossing her legs and sitting up straight. “You know I’m not going to tell you that.”
“Who are you?”
“Someone you shouldn’t have screwed over,” the impostor said with a vicious grin.
The attack didn’t come from across from her, it came from behind. A quick prick against the back of her neck before a defensive spell could leave her fingertips. Everything went black.
Chapter 60
GENEVIEVE
Genevieve pulled up a fifth news report but it didn’t have any new information. What she really needed was the actual police report. There was no way she could get her hands on it though. She didn’t know any of the officers well enough to get a favor like that.
Detective Sloan had told Amber he didn’t think the same sorcerer had killed Donovan that had killed the others. That begged the question of whether the sorcerer they’d been fighting had killed Donovan, or the others. Or both. Sloan could be wrong after all.
She yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, and wondered how her life had come to this. Awake early on her day off investigating a murder. The house was quiet. Tommy, Amber, and Derek were asleep. Ceri must have gone somewhere early this morning, because she was already gone when Genevieve woke up. Sometimes she disappeared into the woods on a walk when she couldn’t sleep, something about communing with nature.
A door upstairs opened and someone started down the stairs. She glanced over her shoulder when they stopped.
Evangeline stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked around uncomfortably. She tugged down the hood of her jacket. “Have you seen Ceri?”
“Not recently, why?”
“She comes every morning to give my mom her pain meds and she hasn't shown up. Mom woke up and she's really hurting now."
Genevieve frowned. That wasn't like Ceri. She was a total mother hen as soon as someone got hurt.
"Maybe she's in her room," Genevieve said. She suspected that Ceri occasionally soundproofed her room with magic. There were times where her heartbeat would vanish abruptly or a conversation would end mid-sentence. It was subtle, but she paid attention.
Knowing how sleep-deprived Ceri had been recently, she very well could have fallen asleep with the spell up, or be in one of her weird visions and lost track of time.
She set her laptop aside and uncurled from the couch. Evangeline followed her to Ceri's room. She knocked twice and waited. There was no response.
Frowning, she pressed her ear to Ceri’s door. The witch wasn't in there but she could hear Woggy snoring.
“Is she there or not? My mom needs another dose of that pain medication she makes,” Evangeline repeated impatiently.
“I heard you the first time, give me a minute.” She pushed the door open and looked around, sniffing the air. It smelled so much like Ceri in here it was hard to tell how long she’d been gone. Nothing seemed out of place, just the normal clutter. Except for the note on the bed.
“What’s going on?” Tommy asked, appearing in the doorway behind her.
Genevieve ignored him and grabbed the note. It had been written quickly and was almost illegible.
Going to Redrum, a nightclub in town. Siobhan called. Will be back by three a.m.
Her hands shook as she reread the note again, hoping she’d misunderstood. But she hadn’t. Ceri was supposed to be home five hours ago.
“Gen, what’s wrong?” Tommy demanded, shoving past Evangeline into the room.
She thrust the note at him then ran to Amber’s room, banging her fist on the door. “AMBER!”
The door flew open a second later and Amber stood in the doorway, wild-eyed, wearing her pajamas. “What’s wrong?”
“Ceri isn’t here, and she left a note saying she was going to go see someone, her cousin I think, last night, but she’d be home by three a.m. She isn’t here. She’s
gone.” She stood there panting with her hands shaking. This couldn’t be happening. She didn't want to believe it but every instinct she had was screaming at her that something was wrong.
Amber’s face went hard and she ran back into her room, quickly changing clothes. “Where did she go to meet Siobhan? I don’t feel her through the pack bond. Like nothing. I didn’t notice until you said something.”
"Someplace called Redrum, I don't know. She said it was a nightclub?"
"We'll go there first." Amber ran out of her room and shouted for Derek.
Genevieve's head was spinning as she ran to the front door and pulled on her tennis shoes. She was wearing shorts and a tank top but there was no time to change. If the sorcerer had taken Ceri she may not even be alive. The fact that Amber couldn't feel her through the pack bond made her want to vomit. She couldn't be gone. She just couldn't.
Tommy was standing in the middle of the living room with his hands balled into fists. She realized he was about to lose control and ran over, wrapping him in a tight hug to ground him.
"We're going to find her. I promise," she said, squeezing him even tighter.
"You can't know that. She could already be––"
"Shut up. She's always saying to be optimistic. So do that for her, okay?"
Tommy nodded, and his breathing slowed a little. "Okay."
Evangeline was hovering awkwardly behind him looking both terrified and angry. She couldn't blame her.
Derek barreled down the stairs holding a shotgun. Another pistol was tucked in the waistband of his pants and his other hand held a massive tire iron. "I'm going with you and I'm not going to argue about it. You'll need help, and if you say a human won't be able to help, I'll deck you."
"What about Eloise and Evangeline?" Genevieve asked as she stepped away from Tommy.
Amber dragged her hands through her hair. "Tommy, I need you to stay."
"You can't be serious!" He looked angrier than she'd ever seen him before, but Amber was right to choose him. He was the best one to stay here. Evangeline trusted him more than the rest of them.
“We cannot leave her alone. If this is a trap, they may come here, too. I need you. Please,” Amber pleaded, desperation clear in her eyes.
Tommy still looked unhappy but nodded reluctantly. “Fine, I’ll stay.”
"Thank you." Amber jogged over to the front door and grabbed her keys, then headed outside at a run.
Genevieve and Derek ran after her, but pausing at the front door, Genevieve looked back at Tommy. “Call Deward. If you think he can be trusted. I don’t like you being here alone.”
He nodded. “I will.”
Genevieve pulled the front door shut and ran after Amber and Derek. As soon as they piled into the truck, she pulled out her phone and texted two people. Amber would probably kill her for this, but this was their chance to prove to the council what was happening.
Shane replied right away.
Chapter 61
CERI
Ceri woke up choking. She rolled to the side only to be stopped by arm restraints. Pushing up as far as she could, she vomited over her shoulder. It hit the floor with a wet splatter. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.
They'd dosed her with something at the nightclub to knock her out, which explained the vomiting. Her magic was trying to purge the poison from her body to protect her.
Wherever she was, it was dark. She couldn't see anything, not even her hand where it was tied to the cold, stone slab she was laying on. Closing her eyes to block out the oppressive darkness, she wiggled her toes just to make sure they were there, then did a mental check on the state of her injuries.
Everything still ached and she somehow felt even more tired than before, but whoever had taken her hadn’t hurt her more. Yet. Lying there, alone in a cold, dark room, the fear began to creep in. Her imagination filled in all the ways they could hurt her. All the things a sorcerer might do before taking her heart and killing her. Pain and blood powered their black magic spells and it was easier if they could use someone else's.
Frustrated tears rolled down her cheeks. She should have seen this coming, but she'd walked right into the trap. She'd gone to see Siobhan without her pack, like an idiot. Though, part of her was thankful Amber hadn't come. She probably couldn't have stopped them either. Maybe it was better if only she died.
She had to get out of here. There were spells she could use, though they were harder tied up and weakened like she was. Giving up just wasn't an option. This was not how she was going to die.
Gritting her teeth, she pulled magic into her hands. Unlocking whatever held her wrists was step one. If she could get her hands free, she could find her way out.
"Conminuo," she whispered, pushing her magic into the shackle. It grew warm, struggling to hold its shape under the pressure of the spell. Using a spell like this without a ritual or any spell ingredients was extremely difficult. It would take time and patience.
She repeated the spell and pushed harder the second time, regaining a little of her energy. Whatever they'd dosed her with was continuing to wear off. She pushed, and rested, over and over. Finally, the hinge creaked slightly.
Hope bloomed in her chest. She almost had it, and they didn't know she was awake. Perhaps the drug had worn off faster than expected. She began pooling the magic in her palms once again, focusing hard on drawing enough to finish the job.
"Conmi––"
Agonizing pain exploded over her arm and chest. She screamed, jerking away from the green fire spreading over her body. It illuminated the room with a sickly color, revealing a figure standing in the corner.
Ceri thrashed under the attack, trying to get away, and unable to focus her magic to stop whatever was happening to her while in so much pain. The figure threw their head back and laughed, then the fire vanished, disappearing without a trace.
"You were so close. I could practically see the hope on your sniveling little face," the voice from the darkness hissed. "That makes failure all the more painful, doesn't it? Being so close you can practically taste it, then having it all ripped away."
Ceri ground her teeth together and glared in the direction the voice had come from. "Who the hell are you?"
"I already told you. Someone you shouldn't have screwed over." A light flicked on overhead, casting light throughout the room. Selena stood before her, clutching a wooden wand. Her long, beautiful black hair had been shaved off. Her delicate features were sallow, as though she hadn't been getting enough food or sun. Gone was the glittery black dress she'd worn in the club. It was replaced by dirty jeans and a threadbare shirt that hung off her frame. "You have no idea what you did to me, do you?"
Selena prowled closer, holding the wand in her hand. Ceri's eyes followed it fearfully. The witch stopped a few feet away, green eyes boring into her.
"I thought at first that you were doing it for your coven. That you thought it was a way to reclaim the prominence your coven had once had, but then..." Selena laughed hysterically, but there was no humor on her face. "Then I realized it was all over a stupid, fucking pixie. You ruined my life over a pest."
"You got me fired and tried to kill––"
"SHUT UP!" Selena pointed the wand at her again and the green flames spread over her stomach, eating through the fabric of her shirt.
Ceri held back the scream by sheer force of will. Her teeth dug into her inner cheek and her mouth filled with blood as the pain coursed through her. As abruptly as it started, it stopped, and she was left panting.
"I was showing you your place in the world! You had overstepped, and you should have known better. You don't cross the Blackwood coven." Selena took three quick steps toward her and grabbed a handful of her hair, wrenching her head up harshly. She leaned in close, her face flushed with anger and hate burning in her eyes. “Did you think I wouldn’t come after you for what you did?”
Ceri spat in her face. The resulting slap rocked her head back against the stone slab and stars explode
d across her vision. She tasted blood.
“I am going to watch you scream while Caligo cuts out your heart and I won’t feel anything but glee,” Selena sneered, wiping her hand off on her dress. “Or maybe we’ll make you watch Amber die first. She’s a pathetic excuse for an alpha, but you’re the real embarrassment here. I didn’t think even you were pathetic enough to join a werewolf pack. You’ve sunk so low.”
Blinking to try and clear her vision, she tried to make sense of what Selena had said. "You're working for him?"
"No, I just sold you. I'll get a bonus if your pack comes for you and then I can buy my way back into my coven. Money covers a multitude of sins,” Selena said with a particularly nasty grin. "And as a free perk, I get to make you suffer."
“Where is my cousin?”
Selena dug the wand into her cheek and pushed her head in the opposite direction. The sight that met her eyes made her want to scream, or cry. She had no love for Siobhan, but this was too awful to wish on anyone.
The long auburn hair she’d loved so much had been hacked off. Her eyes were gone and her mouth was locked in a silent scream. She was dead now, but she hadn’t been when her eyes were taken. She’d been alive when they’d cut out her heart. When they had ripped her magic from her body.
“It’s horrible, isn’t it?” Selena whispered directly into her ear.
Ceri jerked away from her, looking at the woman in horror. “You’re sick.”
“And you’re going to die.” Selena lifted the wand again and Ceri braced for the pain, wishing she was already dead.
Chapter 62
Misfit Angel Page 24