by L. Danvers
“But,” Ben argued, “Xander’s still in there.”
Visibly annoyed, Jessica ordered her vampire lackeys to search the place until they found him.
Luckily, vampires moved quickly.
We heard clashing and screaming, and moments later, Eddie emerged from one of the rooms with Xander’s arm flung over his shoulder. Xander’s face was twisted and he was holding his stomach, which now had multiple wounds.
“Where is everyone?” Ben asked, realizing how profoundly odd it was that we were able to walk through the place without anyone noticing.
“We’re not the only ones here,” Eddie answered in a gruff voice.
I didn’t know who this Jessica person was or how she’d managed to get so many vampires to team up with her, but I was grateful for her help. I didn’t understand why she was helping us considering she and Ben were after the same object. But hey—I wasn’t about to complain about being rescued. I was just glad she’d found us before they’d called my parents.
Eddie nudged Xander toward us, and we helped him out of the station. As we walked toward the exit, I noticed a couple of officers lying on the floor while the others meticulously focused on their work as if we weren’t there at all.
I would never get used to this.
Once outside, we realized that we didn’t have any transportation now. We hurriedly removed the bullets from Xander’s belly, which was way more gruesome of a task than I even imagined it to be. With help from Ben’s blood, he healed. At first, Xander started heading back in the direction of the station. But Ben pleaded with him to use reason. “It’s over. Let Jessica and her guys handle it. We need to get out of here. Now.”
Xander was about to argue with him, but then he looked at me and shook his head. “Fine. Let’s get out of here.”
So, we made a run for it, vaguely remembering where the bar was. I didn’t know why Xander was running at the same pace as us—maybe so as not to leave us in the dust. But anyway, it turned out that it was a much longer trek than we remembered, so we decided to catch a cab to make it the rest of the way.
Once back in the parking lot, we climbed in Ben’s car and sped off. “Want to tell me what the heck that was about?” I asked. “Why did that woman help us?”
“Jessica said that she wanted to beat me to the ring fair and square,” he answered as if that explained everything. “She got her vampire friends to compel the bartender as well as the police officers and everyone else in the station to forget we were ever there. She and her friends are going to go through the records and destroy any evidence they may have about you.”
“Seriously? Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. She wants the ring, too, so why would she help us? Why isn’t she just using this time to get it for herself?”
“Jessica and I are old friends. We’ve been running in the same circles for years. I would have done the same for her—assuming I had the resources. And anyway, it’s not like she wants the ring for herself. All that matters is that we get it out of Ruby Drake’s hands. Werewolves are fearsome enough. The last thing we need is them collecting magical objects and amassing an arsenal of weapons on top of their supernatural powers.”
His explanation made sense, and honestly, I didn’t care why Jessica was helping us. I wasn’t ready to face the Addingtons yet, and I would gladly take any excuse I could to avoid a confrontation altogether. I missed them terribly. But now that I was learning more about the dangerous world I’d found myself tangled up in, I knew they were better off without me in their lives. “But,” I pointed out, “we still don’t know where Ruby lives. How are we going to find her?”
Ben flashed an uncharacteristically devious grin. “I’ve already got that covered. While Jessica and her vampire friends were making the rounds compelling our way to freedom, I broke into the computer system. Turns out the werewolf has had some traffic violations.”
“Wait. You have her address?” Xander asked, thoroughly impressed.
He nodded in satisfaction. “Now, let’s go get that ring.”
Grace
I stood watch while Ben and Xander broke into the house. It was a dinky little place far on the outskirts of town, a mishmash of reddish-brown colored bricks and crooked shutters situated in the woods. I shivered, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the cool night air or my nerves. I was quickly learning that being caught up in the world of supernaturals forced me to bend my morals—sometimes multiple times in a day. The normal, human me would have been horrified at the thought of breaking into someone’s place—let alone stealing something from them.
But if what Ben told me about Ruby was true, which I was sure it was, then we were doing the right thing.
We scanned the home, looking for places where we thought she might have stored the ring. We didn’t have much time. While Jessica wasn’t a threat to us—after all, she and her vampire companions had come to our rescue—Ben still wanted to beat her to getting that ring. Apparently, he was way more competitive than I’d realized.
I had no idea why this ring was so important, and Ben wasn’t sure what it did, either. But that didn’t matter. His network of Collectors said someone needed to get it out of Ruby’s hands, so that’s what we were going to do. After that, we’d take it back to Ben’s where he would keep it safe.
We wandered through the shotgun-style house, passing through the tiled kitchen. I lifted my brows in surprise at the ‘50s-style refrigerator. Interesting. This place wasn’t anything like I expected. I guessed werewolves didn’t have the luxury of spending lifetimes amassing riches like the vampires did. But still, I’d expected more from the leader of a wolf pack. You’d think the job would come with some perks...
“Where should we look first?” I asked Ben.
He marched ahead, knowing exactly what he was doing. “Her bedroom. It’s always the bedroom.”
Xander and I followed him down the long hallway and hooked a left. The bedroom door was wide open. A bed was situated flush against the far wall. Ben headed for it, reaching toward the nightstand beside it.
“I’ll take the closet,” I offered. I pulled the door open and tugged at the chain hanging from the lightbulb overhead, illuminating my view. “I’m guessing her favorite color is red,” I mused to myself sarcastically.
“What makes you say that?” Xander asked while he shuffled through some bags on the floor, half-listening.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because her closet is overflowing with red shirts.” I wasn’t exaggerating. T-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, jackets. You name it, she had it in red. Was it a werewolf thing to wear different colors to signify which pack they belonged in? Or was she taking the name Ruby a bit too seriously? I hadn’t a clue.
I stood on my tiptoes and reached for a box on the top shelf. Being fairly tall myself, I was able to grab it comfortably. I carried the cardboard box over to the bed and sifted through its contents. I refrained from judging her when I realized it was a collection of love letters, all signed with the letter K, or maybe R.
Meanwhile, Ben was busy disassembling her dresser. He stuck his hand in one of the empty slots and felt around. Pleased with himself, he announced, “I got it.” He held the ring in his palm, and I stepped closer to get a better look.
I frowned. “It’s...” I started, searching for the right word.
“Garish? Hideous?” Xander offered. “Either one will do.”
I scrunched my eyebrows. “Is that a bird on top?”
“I think so,” Ben replied.
“What do you think it does?”
He shook his head. “No idea. We’ll research it when we get back to my place.” He stuffed it in his pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”
We started to leave, but then we heard a noise coming from the front of the house.
Teasingly, Ben called out, “Sorry, Jessica. You’re a little late.”
“Oh,” a dry, feminine voice called out—one that definitel
y did not belong to Jessica. “I’m right on time.”
THE MYSTERY WOMAN STEPPED into view. It was Ruby Drake, all right. Red shirt and all. Processing out from the shadows, the werewolf pack leader stared us down. “Who are you? And what are you doing in my house?”
My pulse raced. Her very presence was intimidating. She was stunning in a terrifying way. Bronze skin. Penetrating eyes. Thick, perfectly manicured eyebrows. Brown hair tied up into a high ponytail. She looked like she’d slit your throat and be selfie-ready two seconds later.
Before we could answer her, her eyes ping-ponged between Xander and me. They widened with recognition. “The witch and the Blood Heir together again,” she said to herself, mindlessly thumbing an onyx pendant that hung from her neck. “Oh, he’s going to love this...”
“He?” I asked, clenching my fist to hide the fact that I was shaking. She knew who I was. And if she knew who I was, then maybe she knew why my memories had been stolen from me...
“How do you know who I am?” Xander said, stalking toward her. He towered over her, fangs bared.
“Back up, vampire,” she said, emphasizing the word with pure revulsion. Her eyes flicked toward me for the briefest of moments before falling back on Xander. “Shouldn’t you be in a lab somewhere anyway?”
Warily, I glanced over at Ben. The ring was tucked in his pocket, out of view. He reached for his other pocket, and I knew he was about to make a move.
But if Ruby had information about what had happened to us, maybe she knew how to help me. It was a long-shot, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “My memories—do you know how I can get them back?”
She smirked at first and then shook her head, laughing to herself. “Sorry, you’re going to have to take that up with the boss.”
Xander flew toward her, pinning her against the door.
“Bite me,” she snarled, daring him.
“My pleasure.” Xander opened his mouth, but then she slid out of his hold. She may not currently have access to her full range of supernatural powers, but she had clearly been trained as a warrior. She had Xander’s arms pinned behind his back, and she thrust him forward, slamming his head against her door until it drew blood.
I didn’t have time to scream before she grabbed him by his neck and gave it a snap.
My fingertips twitched at my sides as I ran through a filing cabinet of spells in my mind that could get us out of this situation. That was why I was here, wasn’t it? To serve as backup.
But Ruby was already two steps ahead. Watching me as if she could sense my magic, she curled her lip. “I may not have orders to kill you,” she said, snarling, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t make you suffer.” She pounced on me, pinning me to the floor. She was still in human form—thanks to the witch Isadora, she couldn’t turn at will. But I had a funny feeling that wasn’t going to stop her from having fun with me. “Why are you in my house?”
I squirmed, crying out as she reared her arm back and punched me in the jaw. Pain seared through my entire head. Ben was shouting something in the background, but I couldn’t make out the words. My mind was too fuzzy to think, but on instinct, fire erupted from my fingertips. Forcing my arms out from under her strong frame, I placed my fingers against her forehead.
Startled, she jumped back. “Stupid witch,” she hissed.
At that exact moment, Ben emerged from the kitchen, and I winced in anticipation as he reared a cast-iron skillet back and swung.
But to my horror, he missed.
She slugged him in the gut right before kneeing him. Ben curled over, writhing in pain.
Just then, Jessica and her vampire friends stormed inside. “How many times do I have to save your life today?” she said to Ben before she signaled for her friend to handle the werewolf. The strange man tore Ruby off of Ben and flung her against the wall. Her head slammed into a picture frame, knocking it to the ground. Glass shattered around us, and then Jessica closed in on Ben.
Panting, Ben managed to utter, “Thank you.”
But then Jessica slinked even closer to him and offered him her hand. She helped him to his feet. Her thin fingers trailed along his chest as she straightened his shirt. Then she dipped her finger into his shirt pocket and plucked the ring out. She flashed her teeth before winking. “I see you found the ring.”
He snatched it out from her fingers. “Fair and square, right?”
“Fair and square.” She nodded.
“Want me to finish her off?” a vampire hissed from across the room, referring to Ruby who was out cold.
“No!” I blurted out. The others looked at me, surprised. “We were the ones stealing from her. She was just protecting her house.”
“She has a point,” Ben offered, sliding the ring back in his pocket where it belonged.
Annoyed, the vampire stormed outside.
“Do you always drag vampires along for your exploits?” Ben quipped.
“Do you always drag along teenagers?”
“Hey,” I interrupted. “I’m twenty-one.”
Jessica laughed at that. “Still not any less creepy.”
Ben started toward the door, motioning for me to follow. “Grace is like a daughter to me,” he said sternly, daring Jessica to question our relationship again.
Jessica held her hands up in mock surrender. Following her vampire friends, she stepped over Xander’s body.
Now that the adrenaline was fading and I could think, I knelt beside him. “He’s going to be okay, right?” I asked Ben. I thought I’d read something about it being hard to actually kill a vampire, but hearing his neck crack like that certainly sounded deadly to me.
“He’ll be fine,” Ben said, crouching down beside him. “Just give him a few minutes.”
Sure enough, minutes later, Xander’s eyes opened. I was startled at the sight of him moving again. This was so... unnatural. He stood and brushed himself off like nothing happened and half-listened while Ben explained what he’d missed.
Xander started toward Ruby, who was unconscious in a pool of her own blood. But Ben put his hand on Xander’s shoulder to stop him. “Are you joking?” Xander scowled. “She just snapped my neck.”
“After we broke into her house,” Ben reminded him.
Xander crossed his arms as a deep line formed on his brow. “Fine. I won’t kill her. But I do have some questions for her.” I watched with bated breath as he lurched toward her. He bit into his wrist and gave her a drop—just one drop—of his blood. Moments later, she blinked. “Who are you working for?” he hissed. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her to her feet. “I gave you enough blood for you to regain consciousness. I can give you more to heal your wounds. But you’re going to have to start talking.”
She let out a deep, throaty cough. Her penetrating eyes locked in on his. “Over my dead body,” she muttered.
So, he let her go.
As Ruby collapsed into a heap on the hard floor, Xander brushed past Ben and me and headed for the car.
We followed after him. I glanced back over my shoulder at Ruby before closing the door behind me. A storm of emotions brewed within me. It turned out that reading about the supernatural world and witnessing it were two very different things.
Maybe the old me had been okay with all of this.
But maybe the new me didn’t want to be a part of this world after all...
Grace
I didn’t know how to break it to them that this was all too much for me. In one day alone, I’d been taken into police custody, freed by a Collector and her vampires, helped steal a magical object and was attacked by a werewolf.
I didn’t even know who I was anymore.
I thought that tagging along with Ben and Xander would give me clarity. That using my powers in a real setting might trigger a flood of memories to return. But all it did was leave me with more questions.
Ruby was clearly working for someone who wanted Xander and me out of the picture. They’d gone to great lengths to wipe my memories and drain him. Who knew
what they were up to? Did I even want to find out?
I had a feeling I didn’t.
Things were so much easier just a couple of weeks ago. Life was easy. I was happy. My biggest worry was how to get that awful smell out of my apartment. I wanted to go back to that. To go back to Bellamy.
Thinking of him made my stomach turn to lead. I had no doubt he hated me. As far as he knew, I’d abandoned him at his weakest moment. He probably never wanted to see me again... And yet, I had to try to make things right.
Now, it was a quarter after midnight. Xander was off tending to things at Books & Brews, and even from upstairs, I could hear Ben snoring in his La-Z-Boy. He had planned to stay up late researching, but the events of the day must have finally caught up to him.
I debated whether I should leave a note explaining why I was leaving. Heck, I didn’t have to run away. Ben had promised he’d drive me back to Amber Falls himself if I still wanted to return after learning the truth. I’d tried bringing the idea up at dinner, but when push came to shove, I couldn’t get the words out. He and Xander were counting on me getting that portal open so that they could get their family back. And that Danielle girl, too. Me walking away meant that I was also saying no to helping them. Even though I felt like going back to Amber Falls was the right choice, I couldn’t bring myself to watch their faces when they realized I had let them down. I was a coward, through and through.
And so, I did the cowardly thing. I carefully unlatched the window, climbed down the trellis and headed toward downtown Quarter Square where I caught a cab and returned home.
“THAT’S NOT WHAT THE prophecy said,” Xander pointed out when we were on our flight to Lisbon. “Remember? It said one of you would kill the other one. And both you and Nick are still here.”
“He’ll never forgive me,” I said, staring out the window.