“Look, I’m sorry about your sword.” He ran a hand down his scarred face. “But I heard them coming. They were about to storm the castle, and the only way I could get you out of there was by flying the fuck away as fast as I could.”
I took a step back. “You can’t honestly expect me to believe you were trying to save me.”
“Well, I don’t want to turn to fucking stone for eternity, now do I?” he snapped back. “Look, princess. You got what you wanted. You’re free. Now, get out of here before I decide you’re lying, and I take you straight back to the hunters.”
I lowered my fists, though I was still wary. “Okay. Well…I’m glad you’ve seen the light, even if it is to save your own ass. But…I’m afraid to say that I do need you to take me back there. Now.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You kidding me?”
“Afraid not,” I said. “Since you made me drop my sword, the hunters will now have it. It’s the only weapon in the world that can kill me.”
His eyes widened. “Aw, shit.” A long pause while he stared at me. “Well, if that’s true, then going back will be useless, princess. They won’t leave the weapon in the castle. They’ll take it straight back to their base.”
“Then, take me to their base.”
He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, sure thing. I’ll just drop you outside the door of the magic hunters’ base so you can waltz in there and take your sword.” A beat passed, and he frowned. “You can’t actually be serious about this, princess. They have your weapon now. They’ll kill you before you even step foot inside the place. Now, I know you might be pretty good with those little fists of yours, but something tells me you were bigging up your abilities a bit there. You haven’t mastered your powers. If you had, you wouldn’t have run away from our fight.”
This guy was infuriating. I could see why the others weren’t so fond of him.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need to have mastered my powers for this to work,” I said. “I have an idea. A good one. But I’m going to need your help to pull it off, as much as I hate saying that.” Teaming up with the shifter who had only moments before been trying to deliver me into the hands of murderous humans wasn’t my first choice, but there was no one else I could turn to right now.
And I couldn’t help but think back to the nightmares of my dreams. As if in response, a clock chimed in the distance. It was eleven at night, only an hour away from the time of my death, according to my vision. Before, I’d truly thought the dream had been a warning, a harbinger of terrible things to come. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
He frowned. “You have a plan? Alright, I’m all ears.”
After I’d told Sebastian my plan, he didn’t look any more convinced than he had before I’d explained it to him. But instead of arguing, he gave a nod.
“Alright,” he said. “I can see how that might work as a temporary solution.”
“So, you’ll help me?” I asked.
He curled his lip. “You know I’m a hired man. I don’t do anything for free. What do I get in return for my services?”
The way he said services sent a chill down my spine, but I brushed it aside. This guy was even more infuriating than Marcus, and that was saying something.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I propped my hands on my hips. “What do you get in return? You get to not turn to stone for eternity.”
He shrugged. Took a step back. “Well, if that’s how you feel, you’re on your own. Because I know you’ll go through with this plan whether I help you or not.”
I let out an actual grr and narrowed my eyes. “Fine. What the hell do you want in exchange?”
He pursed his lips and rubbed his hand against his chin, as if he were really thinking through his options. But I knew he was just mocking me. There was something he wanted, something I had a sneaking suspicion I wasn’t going to like.
His smug grin returned. “I know just the thing, princess. How’s this for a deal? I help you out with this little takedown of the hunters, and you…you will demand for Kipling to allow me a room in the City of Wings again. In fact, I want the room right next to yours.”
I frowned. “If Kipling kicked you out, then he probably had a good reason. And it’s not my place to say you can live there anyway. It’s not my city.”
“You’re resourceful. And he’s fond of you. I’m sure you can convince him.” He shrugged. “That’s the deal, Rowena Mortensen. Take it or leave it.”
“Fine,” I finally said, hoping I wouldn’t live to regret this. I saw no other way to get the help I needed right now. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter 30
Sebastian dropped me off outside of an old abandoned warehouse covered in graffiti. We’d flown to the East End of London, right on the edge of the River Thames. Everything around us was quiet and still. Abandoned. Yellowing grass poked up between cracks in the wet pavement, a misty rain pouring from the bulging clouds in the sky.
“This is it,” he said with a nod. “There’ll probably be a dozen or so of them in there.” A pause. “Be careful, princess.”
“I think we’re way past being careful at this point,” I said quietly.
He frowned. “You know this won’t stop them, right? There are hundreds of hunters now. Spread all across England. If this works, it’ll be a temporary reprieve and nothing more.”
“Luckily, that’s enough,” I said. “I just need some time to really harness my powers, learn exactly what I can do. And give the witches a chance to find another home hidden from hunter eyes.”
Sebastian gave a grim nod and clapped me on the back. “You’re fucking brave, I’ll give you that. Good luck. And don’t forget about our deal.”
And with that, he took to the skies to carry out the second stage of our plan.
The first stage was mine to do alone.
Sebastian had been wrong about one thing. The hunters had no idea I was here. I skulked around the exterior of their warehouse for a solid half hour, peeking into soot-covered windows and listening to murmured conversations. They were much more disorganized than I’d originally thought. Stationed out here in the middle of the East End, their entire operation felt more like a gang of angry anarchists than a well-oiled military operation supported by the crown.
But maybe the crown didn’t support them, not really. Or, if they did, they wanted to keep it secret.
Regardless, I now knew there were seven hunters inside the warehouse. Four women and three men. They all wore an all-black ensemble, and their shirts had that weird symbol I’d seen before. Instead of training or leaning over maps of London, they were lounging around as if they didn’t have a care in the world. There was a table in the center of the warehouse, covered in open books. Their research. The hunter logs. That must have been where they found the information about my Achille’s Heel.
They did have weapons, I noted. Each of them carried a pistol at their waist, and there were some shotguns mounted on one of the steel walls. The sword was nowhere to be seen.
That would change soon, I thought.
With a deep breath, I kicked open the warehouse door and strode into the room.
Surprised shouts punctuated the air as the hunters jumped to their feet. They whipped their guns from their holsters and aimed their weapons. One of the men strode closer, his hands shaking. He was the oldest of the seven, his temples gray, the lines on his face etched deep.
“Put your hands up,” he ordered.
Smiling, I raised my hands. “Okay, but I’m afraid the guns won’t do anything to help you. Didn’t the others tell you about my powers?” I flicked my gaze around the room, landing my eyes on the dark-haired female hunter who had locked me in the cell with the Queen. “Ah, there you are. Surprised to see me?”
To her credit, she looked scared. The sudden paleness of her skin gave her away.
“You’ve made a huge mistake,” she said, though her voice wobbled. “Your witch friends will be dead as soon as the hunters at the castle realize you’ve escaped.
Hell, they’re probably already dead.”
I lifted a shoulder, forcing my expression to stay blank. I couldn’t let the hunters see any reaction from me. The truth was, I was terrified of what had happened to the others, but Sebastian had felt certain they’d had enough time to get up the stairs and travel away.
“You’re assuming that matters to me,” I said in a faux-icy tone, trying to reflect the Queen’s voice in my own.
“They’re your friends,” the huntress said.
“Friends? They kept me captive for twenty-two years.” I smiled a wicked smile. “Karma’s a bitch.”
The hunters exchanged looks of uncertainty. They, of course, had no idea what to make of me, the granddaughter of a witchcraft goddess, the sole remaining protector of magic. As far as they knew, I had no shred of humanity. As far as they knew, no magic-wielder did.
“No matter,” the brunette huntress said with a snakelike hiss, narrowing her eyes as she stalked closer to me. The other hunters sent her frantic glances of warning, but she had far more courage and determination than any of them did. Hearing the fury in her voice now, I understood why she had seemed so familiar before.
She was the hunter of my dreams, of my nightmares.
Of my visions.
“We know how to destroy you, goddess or not,” she snarled at me, like I was nothing more than a beast. “We know how to kill you. With your blade.”
“Oh yeah?” I cocked an eyebrow. “And how’s that going to do you any good? As far as I can see, the sword isn’t here.”
The huntress flew into action, charging at me with raised fists. I curled my fingers and breathed in the scent of the warehouse. Dust and smoke, steel and fire. The light thrum of power tickled across my skin, and I welcomed it with open arms. The world churned into slow motion around me.
She was in front of me now, her fist arching through the air toward my face. I ducked just in time, dancing back just as she threw another punch. A gun rang out from my left, and a bullet slammed into my shoulder. The bullet bounced off, leaving nothing more than a slight sting in its wake.
But it had distracted me. And the huntress’s next punch caught me on the chin.
I was knocked to the side, ears ringing, head reeling. Blinking at the black dots in my vision, I stumbled back as she rushed at me once again, a victorious spark in her eye.
She punched me again, and I fell to my knees. Her heavy boot connected with my chest. The breath was knocked from my lungs. Blearily, I stared up at the steel beams overhead, my entire body aching from the attack.
Sorrow filled my gut. I’d gone down too easily, too soon.
I’d lost before the fight had even truly begun.
“Tie her ankles together!” the huntress called out while I was still too dizzy to get to my feet. The hunters scrambled around me, and before I knew what was happening, my hands and feet were tied together with rough rope. My dream. This was so much like my dream, but so very, very different. And my head, pain rippled through it as I writhed on the ground, yanking hard against the ropes.
It was not supposed to happen this way.
I had to get free of these ropes.
The huntress stood over me, smiling. “Looks like it’s not so hard to catch a goddess after all.” She spit, and a lob of her saliva landed on my cheek. Fury rose up inside me. “You’re nothing. And as soon as that sword gets here, you’re dead. You can join your gargoyle statues in the graveyard. I hear their minds will be stuck in their stone forms until this world comes to an end. Imagine how they’ll feel, staring at your grave for all those years.”
Anger licked at my insides. Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and urged the inferno to grow. A brilliant burning light filled my soul, churning through my veins like liquid fire. With a grunt, I ripped through the mortal bonds holding me in place, the fire streaming out of my hands and causing the ropes to burn. And then I jumped to my feet, letting out a roar of rage.
The huntress stumbled back, and the other hunters dropped their guns to flee.
“You made a huge mistake mentioning my stone guardians,” I said, tossing the charred ropes to the floor. “Because I would do anything to stop the magic from leaving their bodies. And that includes killing every last magic hunter alive.”
She swallowed hard and took a step back, her eyes flicking to the fire that was now churning around my arms, my elbows. I could barely feel the heat, too focused on the woman before me, too focused on stopping the hunters from destroying everyone I knew and loved.
And then her eyes flicked behind me. Her shoulders relaxed. The look of horror on her face morphed into relief. And then, victory. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Rebecca, bring me the sword.”
And then Rebecca Valentine strode into the warehouse and handed my precious sword—my grandmother’s sword—to the enemy.
Chapter 31
“Rebecca,” I said, edging my voice with danger. “What are you doing?”
“I am ending this fight once and for all,” she said, avoiding my gaze. Swallowing hard, she gave the sword to the huntress and backed out of the range of the weapon.
The huntress’s eyes brightened as she dragged her gaze over the blade, running her fingers along the hilt. She curled two hands around it and held it high, though I could tell it was a struggle with the way her arms trembled. Even I’d found it heavy, and it was mine.
And then the huntress swung her sword straight at my gut, but I danced out of the way.
“You really think I’m going to let you get close enough to hit me with that?” I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted an eyebrow. “I’m much, much faster than you are.”
“Rebecca.” The huntress snapped her fingers. “Use that spell of yours to trap her. No need to drag this out forever.”
Rebecca gave the huntress a look of pure disdain. “Did you just snap your fingers at me?”
I cleared my throat, and Rebecca frowned.
And then she sighed, rolling her eyes. “It’s too bright in here, Blair. If you want me to do my thing, we’ll need to go outside where there are shadows.”
The huntress frowned, but then she nodded. “Fine.” She jerked the sword at me. “You. Go out the door.”
Heart hammering, I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head. “Like I’m going to go outside so you two can team up on me. Yeah, I don’t think so.”
Rebecca scrunched up her face. “Come on. Just go outside, Rowena.” When I didn’t budge, she sighed and said, “We’ve got Tess. If you don’t go outside, I’ll call the guards at the castle and have them shoot her in the head.”
That got my feet moving.
We stood in an alley between the hunters’ warehouse and another abandoned building. At one end lay the safety of a quiet road. At the other, a steep drop into the River Thames. Rain slanted sideways in the winter wind, heavy droplets plopping onto my hair and my face. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh scent, welcoming the feel of the water on my skin. In the distance, I heard the unmistakable chime of a clock, though it wasn’t Big Ben. It had never been Big Ben. We were far too east for that. That was the interesting thing about visions, I realized. They were never going to be exactly what the dreamer thought they were. Because it had never been a knife either. It had been a sword. My sword.
The only thing in the world that could kill me.
“Lay down on the ground,” the huntress said through chattering teeth. She was cold. And scared, maybe. That was another detail I’d gotten wrong. In my fear of being killed, I’d imagined the murderer as an angry being full of hissing words and evil silhouettes. But this woman…she was terrified. Of me, of Rebecca, of killing someone in cold blood.
But even with the fear circling her heart, she would do it anyway.
Swallowing hard, I squatted and eased my back onto the rain-slicked concrete. Droplets fell into my eyes, and I closed my lids to block it all out. I knew what would come next. I’d seen it all in my dreams. And I didn’t need—
or want—to see it now.
“Now, trap her, witch.” Her voice came out harsher now, and Rebecca complied. Dark vines of shadows twisted around my ankles, my wrists, and even my waist. They trapped me to the ground, holding me so tight that I could barely breathe.
“Are you sure you’re holding her tightly enough?” the huntress asked, hesitation filling her voice. “She broke free of our ropes earlier.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got her,” Rebecca said, doing very little to hide the anger in her voice.
“Okay, where should I stab her with the sword?” the huntress asked. “Where will kill her quickly?”
Rebecca’s voice was a snakelike hiss when she answered. “In the heart, I guess. Just get it over with already.”
I cracked open an eye. I couldn’t stop myself. A flash of steel against the moonlit sky. A shadow shifted, looming over me. A distant clock struck twelve. I yanked against the dark, shadowy vines, writhing on top of the rain-slicked street.
And then the sword sunk into my chest.
But I felt no pain. Not a single lick of fire from where the blade sliced against my skin. With the Queen’s necklace protecting my life, not even my own sword could harm me. My eyelids fluttered, falling shut, and I squeezed the button in my pocket. Fake blood poured from the packet I’d placed on my chest. And then I stilled, slowing my breath until it looked as if I wasn’t breathing at all.
Rain streamed across my face, chilling me to the bone. My body begged me to respond. To shiver, to hug my arms to my chest. But I kept myself as still as could be.
The huntress needed to think I was dead.
She stumbled back away from me, dropping the sword to the ground. It clattered by my ear. I yearned to reach for it, to take it in my hands, and slice the blade into her body the way she’d done mine.
But that would do no one any good at all. So, I stayed right where I was.
“Looks like she’s dead. Well done.” Rebecca’s voice was so angry I was certain she would drop the act any moment now and let her magic flow across the huntress. “Look, my spell doesn’t work anymore. So, yay. It worked.”
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