Neferu looked at him, the angry energy flowing so strongly through her that Slade could feel it. “It wasn’t me who killed them. But it started a curse on the Rode family. They were killed by Alexander himself, and he took their powers. That’s where his power came from. He invited Selena and her husband to dinner, poisoned them, and when they were weak, he struck.”
“That’s horrible. And I didn’t think I could hate that man anymore,” Zoey said with anger. “But, what’s the curse?”
“Alexander then ordered all Rodes to be killed. Their children and grandchildren where hunted down and murdered over the centuries,” Neferu said sadly. “I thought they were all gone a hundred fifty years ago.”
Slade took a deep breath. No one knew what he was about to tell them. “As far as Alexander knows, they have all been killed. They had found your grandparents. Your grandmother was a Claritase outcast named Sage.”
“Sage Halsey?” Neferu asked suddenly.
Slade nodded. He still remembered her as if it were yesterday. She was only two hundred years old. Her hair was black as night and her eyes as green as the plant she was named for. And she was happy, even after being cast out by the Claritase for an infraction. She had met the similarly exiled William Rode, the last living son of Selena and Ragnis. The two fell in love, and that’s when Alexander found them and sent his best hunter to kill them.
“The Claritase made my grandmother an outcast?” Zoey asked Neferu. “Why?”
“She believed evil should be fought with evil. She was studying black magic to fight Alexander. The practice of black magic is punishable by death, but we voted to banish her because her intention was to stop evil. I didn’t know she was the wife killed along with William,” Neferu said sadly.
“And you killed them?” Zoey asked Slade with fear in her eyes.
“No. I was ordered to. I was told they were black magic witches intent on assassinating Alexander. I was to kill them and bring their power to Alexander. I entered their house at three in the morning, but they were not asleep. They were laughing and smiling. I moved closer in the shadows of the house and saw they were holding a newborn—your father, Magnus. Your father was only a couple weeks old. As I looked on, I heard them talking about how happy their lives were. They weren’t a threat to Alexander and certainly their infant wasn’t.”
Slade took a breath and began again. “It was then I made up my mind to leave Alexander. I had known what he was doing was wrong, and I had been trying to convince him to stop this quest for ultimate power. As I looked at your family, I knew it was time to leave for good and find a way to defeat Alexander.”
“So, did you leave? How did they die then?” Zoey asked.
Slade shook his head. “No, I didn’t leave. I came out of the shadows. Your grandfather nearly killed me, and that was before your grandmother had a go at me. But I didn’t fight back. And being the good person your grandfather was, he wouldn’t strike me down if I wasn’t trying to kill him. He helped me up, and I told them about Alexander knowing where they were. I can still remember you grandmother’s fear when she asked if they knew about baby Magnus. I assured them he did not. So that night, your grandparents left and placed the baby with human friends where he would be harder to find. That’s all I know. I never knew who the baby was left with. I warned William and Sage to run for their lives, but they didn’t. They came back to their home, cleared it of any signs of the baby, and fought for their lives when Alexander himself came to kill the last Rode.”
“Only he wasn’t the last Rode. I’m the last,” Zoey said slowly as it set in.
“That’s right. And now you know you have to get away from this man, Zoey,” her mother said, grabbing Zoey’s arm as she tried to pull her from the couch.
“I left their house and went to find the True Tenebris. I joined them in the battle to fight Alexander and preserve our true way of life. Now I’m sworn to defend people like your father—if he were still alive, that is. But now, my true love, I swear to protect you with my life,” Slade swore.
“Gus told me one day someone might come looking for him. He told me to push my daughter far away so no one would connect her to him. That’s why I changed her name and sent her off to school. He felt a magic presence in her when she was a toddler but assured me it would never come to fruition,” Mrs. Mathers told him. Slade didn’t think Mrs. Mathers trusted him completely, but with both Zoey and Neferu there, it was clear she was willing to try.
“Zoey, do you really trust this man?” she asked her daughter.
“Yes, I do. With my heart and my life.”
Mrs. Mathers looked worriedly at her husband as Bradley put his arm around her and pulled her to his side. “Honey, it’s time.”
Mrs. Mathers grabbed his other hand in both of hers and looked at them all. She took a deep breath and then slowly said, “Gus is alive.”
5
Zoey had to be hearing things. She would have sworn her mother just said her father was alive. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Her mother looked nervous, and Zoey knew it was true. “Your father is alive. He faked his death to protect you.”
“But . . . the crash?”
“It was faked. I haven’t seen or heard from him since the funeral. After the funeral, he did come and leave this book for you. His parents had left him with their best friends. Their human friends knew about your grandparents’ powers and their history and could pass on the stories to your father. They left your father with these friends along with that book—a book he told me had the history of the Tenebris and everything to make a witch powerful in it. The book belonged to Ragnis Rode himself and had been passed down over the generations. He told me to keep it safe, just in case you became a witch. But you shouldn’t be. How can you be?” She glared at Slade. “It’s all your fault. It has to be!”
Zoey grabbed onto Slade’s hand in support. “It’s not his fault. It was an accident. Slade wasn’t even in town. But, that’s not important. What made my father leave me?”
“He began to feel an increase in magic. And then he was sure he saw some man named Ian in the park one day when he was playing with you. He said you both left before Ian could see you. Then Gus told me he’d been researching Alexander and found out Ian was his second-in-command. He freaked out when he saw Ian. Your father told me his fears, so I knew what was at stake if they discovered you. And so he left me . . . us. He left to protect us. I fell in love with Bradley, and your father supported it. He allowed me to confide in Bradley, suggested Bradley adopt you, and as the nearby magic seemed to increase more, he suggested you go to boarding school,” her mother explained as a lone tear escaped.
Zoey didn’t think she took a single breath as her mind raced through her past, trying to mesh it with what she’d just heard. Her mother loved her. Bradley loved her. Her father loved her. They hadn’t pushed her away because she wasn’t good enough. They pushed her away to keep her safe.
“Where is he?” Zoey finally asked.
“I don’t know. He thought it would be safer if we didn’t know . . . just in case.” Her mother looked at Slade again and Zoey had the desire to run away. This was all too much. Her whole life, her whole world, had been turned upside down, and she didn’t know what to do in that moment.
“Mrs. Mathers, thank you for telling us. I’m sure it must have been very hard for you and Bradley to deal with all of this,” Slade said for her. Zoey just nodded, her mind running a mile a minute.
“Honey,” her mother said, holding out her hand with worry in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. All I ever wanted was for you to be safe. It was hard pushing you away and then . . . then it was too late to get you back. I’d pushed too far.”
“Oh, Mom. It’s never too late,” she said, taking her hand. “But right now, I need you and Bradley to take a vacation and not tell anyone where you are going. I need you safe, because I fear the danger Dad was worried about is coming for me and all of the Claritase.”
Her mother look
ed to Slade and reached for him with her other hand. “You swear to keep my baby safe?”
“I will protect her with my life,” Slade swore and Zoey felt the authenticity of his oath in her own heart.
“I’m sorry to run out, but I need to go to the Grand Mistress with this information,” Neferu told them. “She’ll also want to see you two.” Zoey and Slade figured that much.
Bradley nodded and held out his hand when her mother dropped Slade’s. “Take care of her.” The two men shook hands, then Bradley held out his hand for his wife. “Let’s pack, dear. Zoey, we’ll be on the boat. Promise you’ll check in with us.”
“I promise. Thank you, Bradley, for everything you did for me when I had no idea you were protecting us.” Zoey wrapped her arms around her stepfather and hugged the man who had given her his name and raised her as his own, even after learning the truth about her father and her own witchy past.
“I love you too, Mom,” Zoey turned and hugged her mother. Her mother clung to her as she took a shuddering breath before stepping back.
“Go. Be safe. And know we love you.”
Neferu turned to Zoey and Slade. “Thank you for calling me. I’ll meet you back at Zoey’s house.” And then she disappeared.
Slade took her hand in his and pulled her close to him. “Ready?”
Zoey nodded and before she could tell her parents she loved them one last time, she was back in her living room in Moonshine Hollow.
“There is no question as to what to do next. We need to find your father,” Grand Mistress Lauren told the large group of Claritase packed into her house. “If he has a quarter of your power and the power of the Rode family, he could help us defeat Alexander. “Neferu, you’re in charge. Form a team and—”
Zoey jumped at the banging on her front door. When she turned to look at the women, she found a room full of animals—cats, owls, and even some snakes. Zoey didn’t have time to ask what they were doing when the front door was flung open and Deputy Sheriff Luke Tanner burst in with his gun drawn. The look on his face was priceless as the animals surrounded him, trying to gauge whether or not he was a threat.
“What the hell?” Luke muttered as he began to wade through the animals to Zoey and Slade. “Where did all these animals come from?”
“Strays,” Zoey said quickly.
“She feeds them,” Slade added.
Luke looked back to Zoey as if a roomful of animals was nothing. “Thank goodness you’re here. Where have you been? I thought you’d been taken too,” Luke asked, his normally slow, smooth, calm voice tight was worry.
“Taken?” Zoey asked as she felt Slade tense beside her. Agnes and Vilma looked at each other with concern as they stepped from the kitchen, “Too?”
“Twelve women went missing last night. It’s like they just vanished. Hey, I’ve seen that cat before,” he said, pointing to Grand Mistress Lauren. “There can’t be many cats with eyes that color.”
“Who has been taken? What about Maribelle” Zoey asked as fear coursed through her.
“Dale has Maribelle under lock and key. Many of the men in town have the women in their lives under lock and key this morning,” Luke paused and then added, “Well, and women too. They’re armed to the teeth now that they know someone is out there stealing women.”
“It’s Alexander. He’s looking for you,” Slade whispered.
“We need to tell Luke,” Zoey whispered back. “He can get everyone to safety.”
“I’m glad you’re here too,” Slade said to Luke. Zoey was as skeptical as to what he was going to say as Luke appeared to be. “When we were gone we realized that someone named Alexander is after Zoey. He thinks she has something he wants. I bet he’s behind this.”
“What does he want from Zoey?” Luke asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
“I could lie to you, but I won’t. It’s better you don’t know. It’s not your fight. It’s ours. But we need your help.”
Zoey watched Luke’s jaw tighten. It was his giveaway that he wasn’t happy. “Tell me more.”
Slade nodded as he began to tell Luke about Alexander and his gang. He left out all mention of magical power though, which was probably a good idea. “You say the man who killed Matthew is now dead? And he was part of this gang? Are you part of this gang?”
“Yes, Edan is dead. Justice was brought for his killing of an innocent. And yes, I was part of that gang until I left, many years ago. That’s why I know law enforcement has no chance against them. You’d need an army and even then . . .” Slade left the rest unsaid.
“There’s something more going on, isn’t there? It’s like my dream. And why do your eyes suddenly match?” Luke’s eyes shot from Slade’s face to hers but Zoey couldn’t look him in the eye. “What can I do?”
“We have reason to believe Alexander and his gang are behind taking these women. They’re looking for Zoey. As we both know, she’s special. If he’s coming to Moonshine, you and the rest of the citizens need to be somewhere else. Can you find a reason to evacuate the town?”
Luke looked at the animals and his eyes lingered on the teal eyes of the black cat staring him down. “I don’t like leaving my town, but yes, I can get them out. How much time do I have?”
“The sooner the better,” Zoey said as fear gripped her for the innocent civilians of Moonshine. “But they can’t get suspicious. I’m afraid for anyone who knows about Alexander.”
“What about the women he’s already taken?” Luke asked. “I have to find them.”
Zoey heard Grand Mistress Lauren’s voice in her head, promising they would be rescued. “We’ll get them. I promise.”
“You and what army?” Luke asked the cat before blinking as if he just now realized he was talking to an animal.
“We’re not alone in this,” Slade told him in a tone that brokered no questioning.
Luke tightened his lips as his eyes traveled back to the teal eyes of Mistress Lauren. “I have the feeling I’m on the cusp of a revelation that could change everything, and I have to decide how much I want to know.”
Zoey was so close to telling him the truth when he sighed and took out his phone. “I won’t ask, but promise me you’ll call me if it gets bad. I’ll help no matter what. But my first action needs to save the people of Moonshine. And I have an idea how to do it.”
Zoey watched as he put the phone to his ear with one hand and ran the other hand over his face. “Ava, it’s Luke.” Zoey saw the soft smile on his face as he called the woman who had taken his interest. She lived in a small town in Kentucky, and only after Zoey and Luke were pushed together on a blind date did he confess his heart was already taken, even if they weren’t actually dating exclusively yet. “You know how Reagan and Carter said to call if there was ever anything they could do to thank the town for helping rescue them? Well, I need their number. I want to take everyone in town up to Keeneston to tour the horse farms and that new bourbon distillery I read about.”
“The entire town?” Zoey could hear the doctor ask over the phone.
“A goodly number of us. Plus it will be nice to see you again.”
“It’ll be nice to see you too.” Zoey could practically hear the young woman smile over the phone. Thank goodness things hadn’t worked out between Zoey and Luke. It sounded as if both hearts were already taken.
A minute later Luke hung up and then dialed again. “Carter Ashton? This is Luke Tanner in Moonshine Hollow. Yes, it’s good to hear from you too. I have a favor.”
“Do you think this will work?” Slade whispered. “Who is he calling?”
“Vilma and Agnes told me all about it. A couple months before I got here, there was a plane crash in the mountains and a murderer was chasing the pilot and her fiancé though the woods. Luke and the rest of the town helped rescue the couple who are apparently a couple of big shots. He owns a huge horse farm with a couple Derby winners on it,” Zoey explained.
“Thank you. We’ll see you this afternoon.” Luke hung up and looked at th
em. “It’s done. I’ll round up the town and tell them we have a gas leak, but fate stepped in and Carter is sending busses for us to come tour Keeneston for a couple days for those who don’t have somewhere else to go.”
“He’s sending busses from Kentucky?”
“No, he said his father-in-law will make it happen. If I learned anything about Cy Davies, it’s that the man is even more determined than you are,” Luke said to Slade. “Are you sure you don’t need my help? I don’t like leaving like this.”
“Trust me when I say you wouldn’t be able to help in this case. You’re a good friend, Luke, and I’m sorry I wasn’t friendlier. I was jealous that you might get between Zoey and me. I didn’t realize you were already spoken for.”
Luke reached out and shook Slade’s hand. “I didn’t realize it either until the prospect of going out with someone else showed me there was no one else I want to be with. Take care of Zoey, she’s still my friend,” Luke said, dipping his head toward her.
“I will,” Slade swore.
“Be safe, Zoey. I’ll await your call to let me know it’s all clear.”
Zoey couldn’t promise she’d call. She didn’t know if she’d still be around. Her voice grew tight, so she decided to just hug Luke. He was a good friend, and at least she could face Alexander, knowing most of Moonshine Hollow was safe. But the part that wasn’t . . . well, she’d make Alexander pay for that.
6
Zoey looked at the group of animals as they slowly changed into human form except for Grand Mistress Lauren. “As I was saying,” Lauren began. “Neferu, take a group and search every inch of the earth for Magnus Rode.”
Moonshine & Mayhem Page 3